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Chapter or Story 
Chapter or Story
I don’t own the characters that I’m borrowing from the Pretender or the Profiler. Fox, TNT, NBC, own the Pretender. I’m not sure who owns the Profiler, as it has been cancelled. No money has changed hands. Please don’t sue me (Note: references to parts II & XV) 2/28/01 revised 3/31/01
In Pursuit Of Happiness
Part 31
by jojarod50
Marquee Hotel - Thursday
Room 629
4:45 AM
Jarod slipped off his shoes and tiptoed into the hotel room, not wanting to wake anyone, especially his father. He knew it would strain their relationship even more, if he knew he was just getting home.
His engagement to Parker was the happiest thing in his life right now, and he wished he could share it with his dad, but knew he wouldn’t understand. Besides, he was really exhausted and going to bed sounded pretty good.
*
In the other room, Major Charles rolled over from a restless sleep and glanced at the alarm clock on his dresser. Grimacing he yanked at his covers, accidentally undoing them at the bottom, and sat up.
He debated getting up and checking on his son, but decided against it, visualizing how he'd feel if his dad had done that to him at Jarod’s age.
Plopping back down on his pillow, he tried to go back to sleep. He wished his wife Margaret would hurry up and get here. She was always better at things like this. Smiling at just the thought of having her back, he turned over on his side and eased back to sleep.
***
Sunset and 34th Street
4:47 AM
Agent Meisser knew he was on borrowed time, as he rounded another corner, pretty sure he’d lost the car following him. He had hoped they wouldn’t discover what he was doing, until he was long gone. So much for wishful thinking.
How apropos, he thought, breaking into a cold sweat. I’ve been expertly trained in evasive maneuvers and so have they. Checking his rear mirror again and scanning the empty street, he pulled a large manila envelope out from under his seat and shoved it in a drive-up mailbox. Who would have ever dreamed I’d be in danger of being snuffed out by the same federal agents I’ve trusted and worked with for years?
Never, in his wildest dreams, would he have ever suspected that his counterparts had deliberately become enmeshed in a seditious cloning project, orchestrated by the defunct Centre and Berlin. How they had eluded discovery, up to this point, was beyond his understanding.
When he had been given his new assignment, he was told what they were asking of him to do was in the interest of national security. To back up the statement, he was shown falsified documents about the pretender, to convince him to fall in line. For a seasoned agent, he couldn’t believe how easily he’d been duped into following orders that his superiors knew nothing about. These guys were good, but they got sloppy, and now they would pay a heavy price.
Hitting the gas, he sped off toward the Marquee Hotel. If he could dodge them long enough, he’d be able to prevent Jarod from unknowingly drugging himself again. It was a travesty, that he had slipped LSD in to that innocent man’s cole slaw at dinner Tuesday night and again yesterday in the sugar bowl. Hoping to salvage the situation, he secretly planned to transfer all of them to a safe house, until Agent Lucas and his men could be put out of commission.
* * *
Marquee Hotel
Room 629b
10:00 AM Thursday
Jarod woke up to the smell of coffee mingled with bacon and the sound of cartoons coming from the other room.
Closing his sleepy eyes again, he savored the reality, of waking up to family and security. These were things he’d longed for these his entire life, but until now, had always been painfully out of reach.
As he became more alert, his sense of ease shifted to the uncomfortable nervousness that had plagued him, for the last 9 weeks.
Shaking off his sudden irritation, his mind drifted to Parker and last night. His eyes flew opened and he sat bolt upright in his bed, breaking into a huge dimpled smile. Hardly able to contain his excitement, he hopped out of bed and quickly hurried for the shower, intent on calling her as soon as he got dressed.
He knew he was making real headway on his recovery now, although it was still hard to accept the fact that he would still have setbacks, before he was really himself again.
Glancing at his reflection in the oversized bathroom mirror, he enjoyed the less haggard appearance of the face smiling back at him. He filled a glass quickly and took his appetite stimulant, grateful that it was doing its job.
Thursday. Two more days and I’ll be reunited with my mom, he thought excitedly, as he turned on the hot water. Shedding his clothes, he glanced at his arm, assuring himself that he hadn’t received a surprise visit from Meisser in the night. Refusing to dwell on the bizarre flash back he’d had the night before, he hopped in the steamy shower.
*
Room 629
10:35 AM
“Good morning, Dad. Hi Gemini. Mmm, that coffee smells really good,” Jarod said, giving him a friendly pat on the back, as he opened the cabinet and grabbed his favorite mug.
“That’s been sitting there for over an hour, Jarod. Why don’t I throw it out and make you a fresh pot?” he offered, curiously eyeing his unusually cheerful son.
“This is fine,” he said pouring a cup. “I like strong coffee.”
“I don’t know if you can still call it that, after you get done with it,” he joked, shaking his head as he watched him shovel in the sugar.
“Are you ready for breakfast?”
“Not yet, Dad. I’ll get something in a little while,” he said, over his shoulder, as he headed over to the computer and sat down.
“What are you up to, Jarod?” Gemini asked, hoping to lure him into a Tetris play off.
“Just checking up on our incarcerated friends and the status of the data downloaded from the Centre mainframe.
“No one is ever going to use my work to destroy lives again,” he said, emotionally. “I intend to monitor everything until the trials are over, and then activate an encrypted virus I planted in their data base, right before we were taken down by sweepers in Kansas.”
“I see, Gemini said, with a big grin, enjoying how his brother’s mind works. “It will erase everything, leaving no trace of how it was done.”
“Exactly,” Jarod said, pausing to finish his coffee. “This is going to take a few moments, before it comes up. Want anything from the kitchen?” he asked, taking his mug and heading for the coffee maker.
“Sure. Why don’t you grab the bag of doughnuts, on the top shelf above the sink, on your way back?”
“Great! I love doughnuts,” Jarod said, checking the cabinets and finding the bag partially obscured from sight behind a big can of coffee.
“I can’t do anything without you two finding out about it,” Major Charles said with mock seriousness. “I’ll have you know, Gemini, that I picked those up for you to share with Angelo this afternoon, so don’t eat them all.”
“Don’t worry, Dad. I’ll pick some more up from the coffee shop before I leave,” Jarod offered, beaming, as he entered the room with the doughnuts and another cup of steaming hot coffee. “I hope you selected some filled ones; they’re my favorite,” he said, setting his cup down carefully before digging into the bag.
“It sure will be great to see Angelo again. I’ve really missed him. What time is he getting here?” he asked, passing the bag to Gemini, as he sat back down.
“I hate to disappoint you, son, but Agent Meisser is dropping him off, when he picks you up for your session with Sydney. Maybe you could suggest to Meisser, that we have Angelo stay here, say, over night? You seem to have a way with him.”
“A way with him? He’s my friend, Dad. I grew up with him. That’s a great idea,” he said, quickly clapping the powder sugar from his hands before resuming his work on the computer.
“If you two don’t mind, I want to run down to the lobby for a paper. Jarod, I might as well pick up another round of doughnuts while I’m there, but thanks for offering. You two go ahead and enjoy yourselves.”
“Thanks, Dad. I was hoping to talk Jarod into some video games, after he finished pretending to be with the CIA.”
“Very funny,” Jarod said with a shiver, feeling strangely exhilarated, as his fingers flew over the keys. “See ya later, alligator.”
Major Charles paused for a moment, thinking there was something strange about Jarod’s voice, but decided he was obsessing again, and left without mentioning it.
*
Quickly, inserting a code and over-riding their security system, the pretender easily moved into the FBI database. Penetrating deep within their system, he fell silent as he scanned the highly classified information, absently rubbing his blurry eyes as he strained to read the screen.
He was rapidly becoming unable to fully process the information he was looking at, but the name Agent Lucas immediately sent up a red flag.
“I sent explicit evidence to the VCTF, linking Lucas and his underlings with the Centre, right before we were recaptured. Damn, the whole thing must have been intercepted,” he said, giving his brother a disturbed look. “They’re still on the active duty list. Hmm, I wonder what they’ve been up to in the intervening time and if they may come after us again.”
“Do you think we should contact Agent Meisser, about this?” Gemini asked, sensing his brother was more than a little upset.
“What? Oh, I’m not sure,” he said distractedly, momentarily forgetting what he was going to bring up next, as he stared at the screen. There was a strange rippling effect of colorful interference tracking across the screen, and when he looked up, the room seemed inundated with color for a moment.
“It’s really getting hot in here,” the pretender said with irritation, thinking he’d had a brief flash back, as he returned his gaze to the computer screen. “Gemini, could you turn the thermostat down, a little?” he asked, feeling slightly nauseated, as he wiped a sudden trickle of sweat from his forehead.
“Ok, but it’s probably just that hot coffee you’re drinking on an empty stomach,” he said, glancing at his uneaten doughnut on the table, as he left his chair.
“Maybe you’re right,” Jarod said, putting his head in his hands as he shivered again, hoping he wasn’t getting the flu.
Suddenly, he grabbed the chair arms, feeling the thrill of a roller coaster, as an intense wave of pleasure washed over him. He was only vaguely aware of how distorted his thinking and vision were becoming, as the strong hallucinogen rapidly took effect.
*
“What are you doing, Jarod?” Gemini questioned as he returned, glancing at the screen.
“Take a look at the site I set up for a man in Florida, during one of my pretends,” he said, bringing up a series of photos of alligators being wrestled, including one of himself with his arms wrapped around a huge gator.
“Guess what I named the one with sharp teeth,” he laughed, as he pulled off his T- shirt and tossed it aside.
“Don’t tell dad, but that sexy creature is going to be your sister-in-law,” he whispered conspiratorially, grinning as he pointed at the screen.
“An alligator? Jarod what’s wrong with you? You’re acting really strange,” Gemini asked with a sinking feeling, as he watched him fly through the keys with his fingers on the wrong row, making a bunch of gibberish on the screen.
“I don’t know. What’s the matter with you?” he asked with a big smile, as he fumbled around with his doughnut and dropped it on the floor.
“Ops, bombs away,” he laughed, getting up and staggering out of the room.
“Come back here, Jarod, I’m talking to you,” his clone said angrily. “You’re drunk, aren’t you? You promised that you wouldn’t do that any more,” he yelled, as his brother rounded the corner and disappeared.
*
Major Charles came though the front door carrying a sack of doughnuts, with a paper tucked under his arm, immediately knowing something was wrong.
“Gemini, who were you yelling at? I could hear you all the way out in the hall.”
“Jarod. He’s high on something. I think he’s drunk.”
“Dear Lord. Where is he?”
“He just went in there,” Gemini said pointing toward the kitchenette. Before the Major could ask further questions, they heard a loud crash, sending them both running.
*
Stepping around a drawer and silverware scattered all over the floor, they approached Jarod, who seemed totally out of it as he slid down the far wall and landed hard on the floor.
“Jarod? What the hell happened in here?”
“I couldn’t find a glass.”
“A glass?” Major Charles asked, glancing back at the drawer and silverware. “What are you talking about?”
“Dad, Jarod isn’t drunk. He’s drugged,” his brother explained, looking at his dilated pupils.
“What did you take, Jarod?” Gemini asked suspiciously.
“Um…take?” Jarod asked, trying to make sense of the question. “You mean the appetite stimulant?”
“It must have been laced with something,” the Major said, suddenly frightened for his son.
“No, Sydney would never do that to me,” the pretender said, breathing heavily, as he struggled to his feet, his muscles feeling limp like spaghetti.
“Did you take anything else?” his dad pressed.
“Some pretty stiff coffee,” he said, starting to crack up again, distracted by the colors flashing around the room. “Maybe I need another shot of caffeine. I feel really out of it,” he said, dragging his feet through the silverware and attempting to pour another cup.
“Jarod, I don’t think,” his dad started, as Jarod suddenly dropped the sugar bowl on the floor, and quickly backed away.
“What the hell is that?” he screamed, trying to mash something with his foot that wasn’t there.
The Major watched his panic stricken son, remembering the conversation Agent Meisser had had with him yesterday, about Jarod’s guilt over the cloning project and having him readmitted to the hospital if he fell apart again. Had he or someone else tried to make it appear as though he’d had a major breakdown? If so, they almost pulled it off.
“Come on Jarod, we’re going to go sit on the couch,” the Major said evenly, firmly grasping him around the waist and steering him out of the room.
The pretender sat down reluctantly, quickly pulling his feet up on the couch, as he stared intently at something on the floor.
“Jarod, I want you to stay here, while I use the phone. Jarod?” he asked sadly, no longer able to get his attention, as he stared blankly off into space.
“Wait. Before you call anyone, you better look at this,” Gemini urged, handing him the paper off the floor.
“FBI Agent, Jerry Meisser, was an apparent victim of a drive by shooting, near the Marquee Hotel, early this morning,” he read in a grave voice, pausing to look at his son. “He was pronounced dead at 5:25 AM at St. Matthews Memorial Hospital. Funeral arrangements are pending. What a tragedy,” he said, slowly putting the paper down.
“I don’t like the timing of this. First the agent assigned to our safety dies and now Jarod has somehow been drugged.”
“Dad, Jarod found something in the FBI data base about a Federal Agent, named Lucas, that deeply upset him. He mentioned something about information he had sent to the VCTF in Atlanta, detailing their involvement with the Centre, having been apparently intercepted. That was right before he lost track of what he was doing. Do you know what he was talking about?”
The Major closed his eyes, remembering how some federal agents tried to kill them in a car chase south of Overland Park, Kansas and what had gone down at the farmhouse, just before they were violently subdued.
“Gemini, is there anyway at all we can help Jarod come down off that drug now? I don’t know if he could emotionally survive much more of this,” he asked, glancing at Jarod, who was sitting on the couch with his arms wrapped around himself protectively, rocking back and forth.
“ Sydney has Jarod on Thorozine, right Dad?”
“Yes, theoretically. He hates taking it. How did you know about that?”
“I read his entire medical records, remember?”
“In the emergency room in Trenton, they used 100cc’s of it on him, to lessen the effects of his drug overdose. I’m guessing that the Thorozine might stand a good chance of bringing him down, if he hasn’t been too heavily dosed, though that’s pure speculation on my part.”
“Well, what are you waiting for? Go find it,” his dad said excitedly.
“Dad, there could be some psychological and physical risk factors involved, that I’m not aware of. What do you want me to do?”
Major Charles fell silent, distressed that the drug stood a chance of making matters worse.
“If you don’t think it will kill him, we’ve got to give it a try. I’m not sure he could recover from another prolonged hallucinogen experience, considering how devastating the effects of the last one were on him.”
“Stay with him, Dad, I’ll be right back”
* * *
Moments later…
“Here Jarod,” Major Charles said, offering him water and four 25-milligram pills. You need to take these right now.”
Jarod let out a long sigh, studying the pills and his father, overtly paranoid.
“Why would I want to do that?”
“Trust me, Jarod,” he said, looking deeply into his son’s eyes. “I’m your father. I would never give you anything that would hurt you. This is very important,” he said, gently, proffering the pills again.
His son cautiously took the pills, holding them tightly in his moist hand, while he debated what he wanted to do. Finally accepting the glass of water, he smiled slightly and slowly swallowed them all.
* * *
Much later…
As the sedative properties of the Thorozine began to wear off, Jarod slowly became aware that he was sprawled on the couch and that what he had been intently studying before he’d fallen asleep, was only a ceiling fan. Still affected by the hallucinogen, but to a lesser degree, he dropped his legs over the side of the couch, and stood up, ignoring his weak trembling muscles. He remembered parts of what had been going on and came to the conclusion that he had suffered another strangely intense flashback, until he took a good look around him and realized he was still mildly hallucinating. Letting out a deep sigh, he headed toward the voices coming from the kitchenette, hoping for some answers.
*
“No one’s getting their hands on him, if I have anything to do with it. We need to start thinking about getting out of here. I’m going to alert the others. Why don’t you check on Jarod and see if…”
“Dad, what’s going on?” Jarod asked, leaning heavily on the doorframe for support. “I feel as though, I’ve been drugged.”
“Jarod, thank God you’re all right,” the Major said, hurriedly leaving his seat. “I’m sorry son, I didn’t mean for you to wake up alone. Better come sit down. You’ve had a pretty rough ride.”
“Rough ride?” he asked, looking from his father to Gemini in confusion.
“From what we could figure out, you’ve been high on a hallucinogen, since not long after you got up. It took several doses of your Thorozine to finally help you start to come down.”
“You gave me Thorozine to come down off a hallucinogen?” he asked, with a look of dismay. “No wonder I’m so tired. How on earth was I drugged?”
“Your guess is as good as mine. The only thing you really had, besides your medication, was coffee, as far as we know.”
“Oh, yeah, I vaguely remember that,” he said rubbing a hand over his blurry eyes, as he sat down on a barstool, refusing to allow himself to react negatively to the ongoing effects of the drug..
“Could you have had something in your room that might have been contaminated with it?”
Jarod was silent for a moment and then just shook his head. “I have no idea. I certainly haven’t taken any micro-dot or blotter acid today,” he said with a wane smile. “For all I know, there might have been something in the sugar bowl,” he said, shivering again. “That would be a classic. At any rate, I guess I can’t say I missed the 60’s anymore,” he said halfheartedly, trying to make light of his overwhelming situation.. He was painfully aware, that he was still drugged and disturbingly disoriented, but didn’t have the heart to tell his well meaning dad. “Maybe you better call Agent Meisser and have him come over, just as a precaution, until we figure out what’s going on,” the Pretender said, knowing he was somewhat incapacitated and becoming increasingly anxious about the whole thing.
“Jarod, he was murdered early this morning, not long after you got home,” he said, handing his son the morning paper.
The Pretender locked eyes with his dad’s for a moment, unable to find his voice. “Murdered? Um, never mind, Dad, I can’t read the print,” he managed, setting the paper aside, saddened and completely shocked by the news. “We could have all died at the Centre, if it weren’t for him,” he said quietly.
“I know that, but I’m afraid that Agent Meisser might have had a darker side. Son, he told me yesterday, that if you broke down like you did Tuesday night, it would be necessary to have you institutionalized again and here you are today appearing to have done just that. I have a gut feeling that your being drugged was no coincidence and that Meisser might have been the one who set you up. If I’m right, whoever he was involved with, probably had him killed to cover their tracks.”
“I can’t believe he would do this to me, unless he was coerced into it. Maybe someone like Agent Lucas was pulling his strings. We know Lucas was heavily involved with Mr. Parker and the Centre. Did Meisser say anything else to you yesterday about me?” Jarod asked, his voice becoming harsh.
“Only, that he was wondering if you were still struggling with remorse over your involvement in the cloning projects, and if you had mentioned anything about them recently.”
“Gemini III. Damn, that’s what this is all about,” Jarod said, stricken with anger and the anguish of betrayal. “Agent Meisser was adamantly against that cloning project. After I was back on my feet, we had discussed going in and making sure the whole thing had been permanently shut down.”
“Jarod, we need to leave here now.”
“Not yet. I want to wait until I talk to Parker.”
“I called Mr.Broots and Miss Parker a while ago, but neither one is answering their phone.
“I know, they’re not home. They were scheduled for more questioning this afternoon.”
“Well, I’m going to call Sydney, I can’t believe this is happening. Isn’t this nightmare ever going to end?”
“Wait, Dad. Just give me a few minutes on the computer first, then you can give Bailey a call. I know we can trust him to get us all out of this safely,” Jarod said through clenched teeth, as he headed for the other room.
“Son, are sure you’re all right?” he asked anxiously, noticing his uneven gate and increasing agitation.
“I will be, once this crap wears off,” he spit, angrily, instantly wishing he hadn’t said it that way. “Gemini, I’m going to need your help. My eyes are still too dilated to read the screen.”
Jarod’s fingers flew over the keys, bring up information on Meisser and Lucas, attempting to find any connection between them.
“Dad, someone is probably going to show up soon, to take Meisser’s place. Until we can figure out what’s going on, we can’t afford to trust anyone. Why don’t you look around for something to use in place of rope, while we do this.”
“Gemini, go ahead and read to me what’s on the screen.”
* * *
FBI Headquarters
Atlanta Violent Crimes Division temporary tech. room
St. Matthews, Del.
2:45 PM
“Where’s Bailey? This just showed up in the mail room, marked urgent.”
“He’s in a meeting right now. What do you have, John?” the computer tech asked.
“I don’t know, George, but it’s from Agent Meisser. I don’t think this can wait.”
“George stopped typing and immediately looked up. “Bailey’s in conference room 302.”
* * *
Marquee Hotel
2:45 PM
Room 629
“We sure didn’t have to wait long, did we?” Jarod whispered, motioning to Gemini to welcome their unsuspecting guest. He and the Major took their places on either side of the entrance, pressing against the wall, to remain out of sight.
As Gemini opened the door, an unfamiliar agent introduced himself and said he was here to pick up Jarod for his counseling session with Dr. Green.
“Why don’t you come in. He’s not quite ready,” Gemini said, stepping out of the way, as the agent entered the room.
Sticking his foot out, Jarod tripped the unsuspecting man, as Major Charles, hit him over the back with a barstool.
Only momentarily stunned, the burley man lunged for Jarod, who stopped him cold with a punch to the gut. While doubled over searching for air, Jarod yanked him up by the hair and delivered a hard right cross, sending him slamming into the wall, effectively knocking him out.
“A couple more like him, and I’ll really be feeling good,” Jarod said, with a satisfied grin, shaking his bleeding hand.
“I’ll tie him up, while you finish what you’re doing,” Major Charles said, relieved that his son seemed to be coming off the drug emotionally in tact.
* * *
FBI Headquarters
Atlanta Violent Crimes division temporary tech. room
St. Matthews, Del.
3:15 PM
“John, take George and get over to the interrogation offices and pick up Miss Parker and Mr. Broots. Broots’ daughter will be meeting him at the airport.”
“I already have someone on the way to St. Matthews Hospital to pick up Dr. Green and Angelo. I want all of them taken to our alternative airport immediately. We’re transferring everyone to one of our secured locations on Yellow Bird Island, off the coast of Southern Florida, out of harms way. Lord knows these people deserve a real vacation.”
“The agency has a big mess to clean up. They sure owe Jarod and his family more than just reparations for all those poor people have gone through, while under Meisser’s watch.”
“Joe Clark has signed up to help us, for now. He said he doesn’t want to relax, until he is sure the agency gets straightened out”
“Sam, you’re with me. We’re picking up Jarod, Major Charles, and Gemini. I just got off the phone with Agent Abernathy in England. They’re flying the Major’s wife and daughter out to the island later tomorrow morning. That’s a reunion I’ll hate to miss.”
“Ok, everyone, get moving.”
Feedback greatly appreciated -please be gentle, but honest – smiles
Author’s note. This part had to be rewritten, because I found new information in my research that indicated that there are no properties in Thorozine that can bring one down from an acid trip. I’m trying to remain as accurate as I can with this story. Sorry, Jarod, I’ll try to make it up to you later.
Part 31
by jojarod50
Marquee Hotel - Thursday
Room 629
4:45 AM
Jarod slipped off his shoes and tiptoed into the hotel room, not wanting to wake anyone, especially his father. He knew it would strain their relationship even more, if he knew he was just getting home.
His engagement to Parker was the happiest thing in his life right now, and he wished he could share it with his dad, but knew he wouldn’t understand. Besides, he was really exhausted and going to bed sounded pretty good.
*
In the other room, Major Charles rolled over from a restless sleep and glanced at the alarm clock on his dresser. Grimacing he yanked at his covers, accidentally undoing them at the bottom, and sat up.
He debated getting up and checking on his son, but decided against it, visualizing how he'd feel if his dad had done that to him at Jarod’s age.
Plopping back down on his pillow, he tried to go back to sleep. He wished his wife Margaret would hurry up and get here. She was always better at things like this. Smiling at just the thought of having her back, he turned over on his side and eased back to sleep.
***
Sunset and 34th Street
4:47 AM
Agent Meisser knew he was on borrowed time, as he rounded another corner, pretty sure he’d lost the car following him. He had hoped they wouldn’t discover what he was doing, until he was long gone. So much for wishful thinking.
How apropos, he thought, breaking into a cold sweat. I’ve been expertly trained in evasive maneuvers and so have they. Checking his rear mirror again and scanning the empty street, he pulled a large manila envelope out from under his seat and shoved it in a drive-up mailbox. Who would have ever dreamed I’d be in danger of being snuffed out by the same federal agents I’ve trusted and worked with for years?
Never, in his wildest dreams, would he have ever suspected that his counterparts had deliberately become enmeshed in a seditious cloning project, orchestrated by the defunct Centre and Berlin. How they had eluded discovery, up to this point, was beyond his understanding.
When he had been given his new assignment, he was told what they were asking of him to do was in the interest of national security. To back up the statement, he was shown falsified documents about the pretender, to convince him to fall in line. For a seasoned agent, he couldn’t believe how easily he’d been duped into following orders that his superiors knew nothing about. These guys were good, but they got sloppy, and now they would pay a heavy price.
Hitting the gas, he sped off toward the Marquee Hotel. If he could dodge them long enough, he’d be able to prevent Jarod from unknowingly drugging himself again. It was a travesty, that he had slipped LSD in to that innocent man’s cole slaw at dinner Tuesday night and again yesterday in the sugar bowl. Hoping to salvage the situation, he secretly planned to transfer all of them to a safe house, until Agent Lucas and his men could be put out of commission.
* * *
Marquee Hotel
Room 629b
10:00 AM Thursday
Jarod woke up to the smell of coffee mingled with bacon and the sound of cartoons coming from the other room.
Closing his sleepy eyes again, he savored the reality, of waking up to family and security. These were things he’d longed for these his entire life, but until now, had always been painfully out of reach.
As he became more alert, his sense of ease shifted to the uncomfortable nervousness that had plagued him, for the last 9 weeks.
Shaking off his sudden irritation, his mind drifted to Parker and last night. His eyes flew opened and he sat bolt upright in his bed, breaking into a huge dimpled smile. Hardly able to contain his excitement, he hopped out of bed and quickly hurried for the shower, intent on calling her as soon as he got dressed.
He knew he was making real headway on his recovery now, although it was still hard to accept the fact that he would still have setbacks, before he was really himself again.
Glancing at his reflection in the oversized bathroom mirror, he enjoyed the less haggard appearance of the face smiling back at him. He filled a glass quickly and took his appetite stimulant, grateful that it was doing its job.
Thursday. Two more days and I’ll be reunited with my mom, he thought excitedly, as he turned on the hot water. Shedding his clothes, he glanced at his arm, assuring himself that he hadn’t received a surprise visit from Meisser in the night. Refusing to dwell on the bizarre flash back he’d had the night before, he hopped in the steamy shower.
*
Room 629
10:35 AM
“Good morning, Dad. Hi Gemini. Mmm, that coffee smells really good,” Jarod said, giving him a friendly pat on the back, as he opened the cabinet and grabbed his favorite mug.
“That’s been sitting there for over an hour, Jarod. Why don’t I throw it out and make you a fresh pot?” he offered, curiously eyeing his unusually cheerful son.
“This is fine,” he said pouring a cup. “I like strong coffee.”
“I don’t know if you can still call it that, after you get done with it,” he joked, shaking his head as he watched him shovel in the sugar.
“Are you ready for breakfast?”
“Not yet, Dad. I’ll get something in a little while,” he said, over his shoulder, as he headed over to the computer and sat down.
“What are you up to, Jarod?” Gemini asked, hoping to lure him into a Tetris play off.
“Just checking up on our incarcerated friends and the status of the data downloaded from the Centre mainframe.
“No one is ever going to use my work to destroy lives again,” he said, emotionally. “I intend to monitor everything until the trials are over, and then activate an encrypted virus I planted in their data base, right before we were taken down by sweepers in Kansas.”
“I see, Gemini said, with a big grin, enjoying how his brother’s mind works. “It will erase everything, leaving no trace of how it was done.”
“Exactly,” Jarod said, pausing to finish his coffee. “This is going to take a few moments, before it comes up. Want anything from the kitchen?” he asked, taking his mug and heading for the coffee maker.
“Sure. Why don’t you grab the bag of doughnuts, on the top shelf above the sink, on your way back?”
“Great! I love doughnuts,” Jarod said, checking the cabinets and finding the bag partially obscured from sight behind a big can of coffee.
“I can’t do anything without you two finding out about it,” Major Charles said with mock seriousness. “I’ll have you know, Gemini, that I picked those up for you to share with Angelo this afternoon, so don’t eat them all.”
“Don’t worry, Dad. I’ll pick some more up from the coffee shop before I leave,” Jarod offered, beaming, as he entered the room with the doughnuts and another cup of steaming hot coffee. “I hope you selected some filled ones; they’re my favorite,” he said, setting his cup down carefully before digging into the bag.
“It sure will be great to see Angelo again. I’ve really missed him. What time is he getting here?” he asked, passing the bag to Gemini, as he sat back down.
“I hate to disappoint you, son, but Agent Meisser is dropping him off, when he picks you up for your session with Sydney. Maybe you could suggest to Meisser, that we have Angelo stay here, say, over night? You seem to have a way with him.”
“A way with him? He’s my friend, Dad. I grew up with him. That’s a great idea,” he said, quickly clapping the powder sugar from his hands before resuming his work on the computer.
“If you two don’t mind, I want to run down to the lobby for a paper. Jarod, I might as well pick up another round of doughnuts while I’m there, but thanks for offering. You two go ahead and enjoy yourselves.”
“Thanks, Dad. I was hoping to talk Jarod into some video games, after he finished pretending to be with the CIA.”
“Very funny,” Jarod said with a shiver, feeling strangely exhilarated, as his fingers flew over the keys. “See ya later, alligator.”
Major Charles paused for a moment, thinking there was something strange about Jarod’s voice, but decided he was obsessing again, and left without mentioning it.
*
Quickly, inserting a code and over-riding their security system, the pretender easily moved into the FBI database. Penetrating deep within their system, he fell silent as he scanned the highly classified information, absently rubbing his blurry eyes as he strained to read the screen.
He was rapidly becoming unable to fully process the information he was looking at, but the name Agent Lucas immediately sent up a red flag.
“I sent explicit evidence to the VCTF, linking Lucas and his underlings with the Centre, right before we were recaptured. Damn, the whole thing must have been intercepted,” he said, giving his brother a disturbed look. “They’re still on the active duty list. Hmm, I wonder what they’ve been up to in the intervening time and if they may come after us again.”
“Do you think we should contact Agent Meisser, about this?” Gemini asked, sensing his brother was more than a little upset.
“What? Oh, I’m not sure,” he said distractedly, momentarily forgetting what he was going to bring up next, as he stared at the screen. There was a strange rippling effect of colorful interference tracking across the screen, and when he looked up, the room seemed inundated with color for a moment.
“It’s really getting hot in here,” the pretender said with irritation, thinking he’d had a brief flash back, as he returned his gaze to the computer screen. “Gemini, could you turn the thermostat down, a little?” he asked, feeling slightly nauseated, as he wiped a sudden trickle of sweat from his forehead.
“Ok, but it’s probably just that hot coffee you’re drinking on an empty stomach,” he said, glancing at his uneaten doughnut on the table, as he left his chair.
“Maybe you’re right,” Jarod said, putting his head in his hands as he shivered again, hoping he wasn’t getting the flu.
Suddenly, he grabbed the chair arms, feeling the thrill of a roller coaster, as an intense wave of pleasure washed over him. He was only vaguely aware of how distorted his thinking and vision were becoming, as the strong hallucinogen rapidly took effect.
*
“What are you doing, Jarod?” Gemini questioned as he returned, glancing at the screen.
“Take a look at the site I set up for a man in Florida, during one of my pretends,” he said, bringing up a series of photos of alligators being wrestled, including one of himself with his arms wrapped around a huge gator.
“Guess what I named the one with sharp teeth,” he laughed, as he pulled off his T- shirt and tossed it aside.
“Don’t tell dad, but that sexy creature is going to be your sister-in-law,” he whispered conspiratorially, grinning as he pointed at the screen.
“An alligator? Jarod what’s wrong with you? You’re acting really strange,” Gemini asked with a sinking feeling, as he watched him fly through the keys with his fingers on the wrong row, making a bunch of gibberish on the screen.
“I don’t know. What’s the matter with you?” he asked with a big smile, as he fumbled around with his doughnut and dropped it on the floor.
“Ops, bombs away,” he laughed, getting up and staggering out of the room.
“Come back here, Jarod, I’m talking to you,” his clone said angrily. “You’re drunk, aren’t you? You promised that you wouldn’t do that any more,” he yelled, as his brother rounded the corner and disappeared.
*
Major Charles came though the front door carrying a sack of doughnuts, with a paper tucked under his arm, immediately knowing something was wrong.
“Gemini, who were you yelling at? I could hear you all the way out in the hall.”
“Jarod. He’s high on something. I think he’s drunk.”
“Dear Lord. Where is he?”
“He just went in there,” Gemini said pointing toward the kitchenette. Before the Major could ask further questions, they heard a loud crash, sending them both running.
*
Stepping around a drawer and silverware scattered all over the floor, they approached Jarod, who seemed totally out of it as he slid down the far wall and landed hard on the floor.
“Jarod? What the hell happened in here?”
“I couldn’t find a glass.”
“A glass?” Major Charles asked, glancing back at the drawer and silverware. “What are you talking about?”
“Dad, Jarod isn’t drunk. He’s drugged,” his brother explained, looking at his dilated pupils.
“What did you take, Jarod?” Gemini asked suspiciously.
“Um…take?” Jarod asked, trying to make sense of the question. “You mean the appetite stimulant?”
“It must have been laced with something,” the Major said, suddenly frightened for his son.
“No, Sydney would never do that to me,” the pretender said, breathing heavily, as he struggled to his feet, his muscles feeling limp like spaghetti.
“Did you take anything else?” his dad pressed.
“Some pretty stiff coffee,” he said, starting to crack up again, distracted by the colors flashing around the room. “Maybe I need another shot of caffeine. I feel really out of it,” he said, dragging his feet through the silverware and attempting to pour another cup.
“Jarod, I don’t think,” his dad started, as Jarod suddenly dropped the sugar bowl on the floor, and quickly backed away.
“What the hell is that?” he screamed, trying to mash something with his foot that wasn’t there.
The Major watched his panic stricken son, remembering the conversation Agent Meisser had had with him yesterday, about Jarod’s guilt over the cloning project and having him readmitted to the hospital if he fell apart again. Had he or someone else tried to make it appear as though he’d had a major breakdown? If so, they almost pulled it off.
“Come on Jarod, we’re going to go sit on the couch,” the Major said evenly, firmly grasping him around the waist and steering him out of the room.
The pretender sat down reluctantly, quickly pulling his feet up on the couch, as he stared intently at something on the floor.
“Jarod, I want you to stay here, while I use the phone. Jarod?” he asked sadly, no longer able to get his attention, as he stared blankly off into space.
“Wait. Before you call anyone, you better look at this,” Gemini urged, handing him the paper off the floor.
“FBI Agent, Jerry Meisser, was an apparent victim of a drive by shooting, near the Marquee Hotel, early this morning,” he read in a grave voice, pausing to look at his son. “He was pronounced dead at 5:25 AM at St. Matthews Memorial Hospital. Funeral arrangements are pending. What a tragedy,” he said, slowly putting the paper down.
“I don’t like the timing of this. First the agent assigned to our safety dies and now Jarod has somehow been drugged.”
“Dad, Jarod found something in the FBI data base about a Federal Agent, named Lucas, that deeply upset him. He mentioned something about information he had sent to the VCTF in Atlanta, detailing their involvement with the Centre, having been apparently intercepted. That was right before he lost track of what he was doing. Do you know what he was talking about?”
The Major closed his eyes, remembering how some federal agents tried to kill them in a car chase south of Overland Park, Kansas and what had gone down at the farmhouse, just before they were violently subdued.
“Gemini, is there anyway at all we can help Jarod come down off that drug now? I don’t know if he could emotionally survive much more of this,” he asked, glancing at Jarod, who was sitting on the couch with his arms wrapped around himself protectively, rocking back and forth.
“ Sydney has Jarod on Thorozine, right Dad?”
“Yes, theoretically. He hates taking it. How did you know about that?”
“I read his entire medical records, remember?”
“In the emergency room in Trenton, they used 100cc’s of it on him, to lessen the effects of his drug overdose. I’m guessing that the Thorozine might stand a good chance of bringing him down, if he hasn’t been too heavily dosed, though that’s pure speculation on my part.”
“Well, what are you waiting for? Go find it,” his dad said excitedly.
“Dad, there could be some psychological and physical risk factors involved, that I’m not aware of. What do you want me to do?”
Major Charles fell silent, distressed that the drug stood a chance of making matters worse.
“If you don’t think it will kill him, we’ve got to give it a try. I’m not sure he could recover from another prolonged hallucinogen experience, considering how devastating the effects of the last one were on him.”
“Stay with him, Dad, I’ll be right back”
* * *
Moments later…
“Here Jarod,” Major Charles said, offering him water and four 25-milligram pills. You need to take these right now.”
Jarod let out a long sigh, studying the pills and his father, overtly paranoid.
“Why would I want to do that?”
“Trust me, Jarod,” he said, looking deeply into his son’s eyes. “I’m your father. I would never give you anything that would hurt you. This is very important,” he said, gently, proffering the pills again.
His son cautiously took the pills, holding them tightly in his moist hand, while he debated what he wanted to do. Finally accepting the glass of water, he smiled slightly and slowly swallowed them all.
* * *
Much later…
As the sedative properties of the Thorozine began to wear off, Jarod slowly became aware that he was sprawled on the couch and that what he had been intently studying before he’d fallen asleep, was only a ceiling fan. Still affected by the hallucinogen, but to a lesser degree, he dropped his legs over the side of the couch, and stood up, ignoring his weak trembling muscles. He remembered parts of what had been going on and came to the conclusion that he had suffered another strangely intense flashback, until he took a good look around him and realized he was still mildly hallucinating. Letting out a deep sigh, he headed toward the voices coming from the kitchenette, hoping for some answers.
*
“No one’s getting their hands on him, if I have anything to do with it. We need to start thinking about getting out of here. I’m going to alert the others. Why don’t you check on Jarod and see if…”
“Dad, what’s going on?” Jarod asked, leaning heavily on the doorframe for support. “I feel as though, I’ve been drugged.”
“Jarod, thank God you’re all right,” the Major said, hurriedly leaving his seat. “I’m sorry son, I didn’t mean for you to wake up alone. Better come sit down. You’ve had a pretty rough ride.”
“Rough ride?” he asked, looking from his father to Gemini in confusion.
“From what we could figure out, you’ve been high on a hallucinogen, since not long after you got up. It took several doses of your Thorozine to finally help you start to come down.”
“You gave me Thorozine to come down off a hallucinogen?” he asked, with a look of dismay. “No wonder I’m so tired. How on earth was I drugged?”
“Your guess is as good as mine. The only thing you really had, besides your medication, was coffee, as far as we know.”
“Oh, yeah, I vaguely remember that,” he said rubbing a hand over his blurry eyes, as he sat down on a barstool, refusing to allow himself to react negatively to the ongoing effects of the drug..
“Could you have had something in your room that might have been contaminated with it?”
Jarod was silent for a moment and then just shook his head. “I have no idea. I certainly haven’t taken any micro-dot or blotter acid today,” he said with a wane smile. “For all I know, there might have been something in the sugar bowl,” he said, shivering again. “That would be a classic. At any rate, I guess I can’t say I missed the 60’s anymore,” he said halfheartedly, trying to make light of his overwhelming situation.. He was painfully aware, that he was still drugged and disturbingly disoriented, but didn’t have the heart to tell his well meaning dad. “Maybe you better call Agent Meisser and have him come over, just as a precaution, until we figure out what’s going on,” the Pretender said, knowing he was somewhat incapacitated and becoming increasingly anxious about the whole thing.
“Jarod, he was murdered early this morning, not long after you got home,” he said, handing his son the morning paper.
The Pretender locked eyes with his dad’s for a moment, unable to find his voice. “Murdered? Um, never mind, Dad, I can’t read the print,” he managed, setting the paper aside, saddened and completely shocked by the news. “We could have all died at the Centre, if it weren’t for him,” he said quietly.
“I know that, but I’m afraid that Agent Meisser might have had a darker side. Son, he told me yesterday, that if you broke down like you did Tuesday night, it would be necessary to have you institutionalized again and here you are today appearing to have done just that. I have a gut feeling that your being drugged was no coincidence and that Meisser might have been the one who set you up. If I’m right, whoever he was involved with, probably had him killed to cover their tracks.”
“I can’t believe he would do this to me, unless he was coerced into it. Maybe someone like Agent Lucas was pulling his strings. We know Lucas was heavily involved with Mr. Parker and the Centre. Did Meisser say anything else to you yesterday about me?” Jarod asked, his voice becoming harsh.
“Only, that he was wondering if you were still struggling with remorse over your involvement in the cloning projects, and if you had mentioned anything about them recently.”
“Gemini III. Damn, that’s what this is all about,” Jarod said, stricken with anger and the anguish of betrayal. “Agent Meisser was adamantly against that cloning project. After I was back on my feet, we had discussed going in and making sure the whole thing had been permanently shut down.”
“Jarod, we need to leave here now.”
“Not yet. I want to wait until I talk to Parker.”
“I called Mr.Broots and Miss Parker a while ago, but neither one is answering their phone.
“I know, they’re not home. They were scheduled for more questioning this afternoon.”
“Well, I’m going to call Sydney, I can’t believe this is happening. Isn’t this nightmare ever going to end?”
“Wait, Dad. Just give me a few minutes on the computer first, then you can give Bailey a call. I know we can trust him to get us all out of this safely,” Jarod said through clenched teeth, as he headed for the other room.
“Son, are sure you’re all right?” he asked anxiously, noticing his uneven gate and increasing agitation.
“I will be, once this crap wears off,” he spit, angrily, instantly wishing he hadn’t said it that way. “Gemini, I’m going to need your help. My eyes are still too dilated to read the screen.”
Jarod’s fingers flew over the keys, bring up information on Meisser and Lucas, attempting to find any connection between them.
“Dad, someone is probably going to show up soon, to take Meisser’s place. Until we can figure out what’s going on, we can’t afford to trust anyone. Why don’t you look around for something to use in place of rope, while we do this.”
“Gemini, go ahead and read to me what’s on the screen.”
* * *
FBI Headquarters
Atlanta Violent Crimes Division temporary tech. room
St. Matthews, Del.
2:45 PM
“Where’s Bailey? This just showed up in the mail room, marked urgent.”
“He’s in a meeting right now. What do you have, John?” the computer tech asked.
“I don’t know, George, but it’s from Agent Meisser. I don’t think this can wait.”
“George stopped typing and immediately looked up. “Bailey’s in conference room 302.”
* * *
Marquee Hotel
2:45 PM
Room 629
“We sure didn’t have to wait long, did we?” Jarod whispered, motioning to Gemini to welcome their unsuspecting guest. He and the Major took their places on either side of the entrance, pressing against the wall, to remain out of sight.
As Gemini opened the door, an unfamiliar agent introduced himself and said he was here to pick up Jarod for his counseling session with Dr. Green.
“Why don’t you come in. He’s not quite ready,” Gemini said, stepping out of the way, as the agent entered the room.
Sticking his foot out, Jarod tripped the unsuspecting man, as Major Charles, hit him over the back with a barstool.
Only momentarily stunned, the burley man lunged for Jarod, who stopped him cold with a punch to the gut. While doubled over searching for air, Jarod yanked him up by the hair and delivered a hard right cross, sending him slamming into the wall, effectively knocking him out.
“A couple more like him, and I’ll really be feeling good,” Jarod said, with a satisfied grin, shaking his bleeding hand.
“I’ll tie him up, while you finish what you’re doing,” Major Charles said, relieved that his son seemed to be coming off the drug emotionally in tact.
* * *
FBI Headquarters
Atlanta Violent Crimes division temporary tech. room
St. Matthews, Del.
3:15 PM
“John, take George and get over to the interrogation offices and pick up Miss Parker and Mr. Broots. Broots’ daughter will be meeting him at the airport.”
“I already have someone on the way to St. Matthews Hospital to pick up Dr. Green and Angelo. I want all of them taken to our alternative airport immediately. We’re transferring everyone to one of our secured locations on Yellow Bird Island, off the coast of Southern Florida, out of harms way. Lord knows these people deserve a real vacation.”
“The agency has a big mess to clean up. They sure owe Jarod and his family more than just reparations for all those poor people have gone through, while under Meisser’s watch.”
“Joe Clark has signed up to help us, for now. He said he doesn’t want to relax, until he is sure the agency gets straightened out”
“Sam, you’re with me. We’re picking up Jarod, Major Charles, and Gemini. I just got off the phone with Agent Abernathy in England. They’re flying the Major’s wife and daughter out to the island later tomorrow morning. That’s a reunion I’ll hate to miss.”
“Ok, everyone, get moving.”
Feedback greatly appreciated -please be gentle, but honest – smiles
Author’s note. This part had to be rewritten, because I found new information in my research that indicated that there are no properties in Thorozine that can bring one down from an acid trip. I’m trying to remain as accurate as I can with this story. Sorry, Jarod, I’ll try to make it up to you later.
