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Chapter or Story 
Chapter or Story
Disclaimer: The characters Miss Parker, Sydney, Jarod, Broots etc. and the fictional Centre, are all property of MTM, TNT and NBC Productions and used without permission. I'm not making any money out of this and no infringement is intended.
The Tender Side of The Heart
part 3
By Sarah Elizabeth
Sydney picked up the green file from his desk and headed toward the sim lab. He’d received his orders that morning. He was once again doing what he had sworn never to do again. Training a Pretender to be used however The Centre saw fit. He had sworn to Jarod that he wasn’t doing it anymore, but his need for self-preservation was winning out over his guilt. But then it always had. Jacob had known, had in fact died trying to convince him to walk away.
The little boy sat on a chair in the sim lab swinging his legs back and forth and laying his head on his arm, which sat on the table before him. It reminded Sydney of the past and that he was once again repeating his past mistakes. Might as well get on with it he thought to himself as he walked through the door to the sim lab.
“Hello Thomas,” Sydney said. “I’m Sydney and I’ll be taking care of you for a while.”
“Okay,” Thomas replied as if used to changing caregivers.
“Let’s get started Thomas,” Sydney suggested.
“I’m hungry,” Thomas said. “And my name is Anthony.”
“I’m sorry,” Sydney said. “Your file says Thomas.”
“Mr. Raines said I have to change my name,” Anthony replied. “But I won’t. My name is Anthony not Thomas!”
“Well,” Sydney said signaling to one of the sweepers to get the boy some food. “We’ll have to talk to Mr. Raines about that won’t we.”
******************************************************************
“It’s been three hours,” Sarah said to Jarod as they sat in their hotel room anticipating a call from The Centre.
“They’ll call Sarah,” Jarod reassured her. “He’s not a Pretender. The only use they could have for him is as a hostage to get one or both of us back. They may wait until he’s secure, but they will call.”
“Do you have Sydney’s number?” Sarah asked Jarod.
“Yes, why?” Jarod asked.
“I want someone on the inside looking for him and I don’t know who else to trust.” Sarah said.
“Good idea,” Jarod said. “But make sure he doesn’t know where you are.”
“No problem,” Sarah said pulling out a CD and putting it into her computer.
Sarah turned the volume down on the computer so that the sounds of San Francisco’s Pier 39 could barely be heard, but was still loud enough to cover up local noises. She took Jarod’s phone and waited for Sydney to pick up.
“This is Sydney,” the voice on the other end said.
“Sydney, it’s Sarah,” Jarod’s daughter said a hint of panic in her voice.
“Sarah,” Sydney said. “This is dangerous, if the triumvirate finds out you’re alive…”
“They’ve known for weeks,” Sarah replied. “They took Paul six hours ago. Please Sydney try to find out where he is.”
“Where are you?” Sydney asked.
“I can’t tell you,” Sarah said. “Jarod thinks it’s a bad idea for you to know our location and I would tend to agree.”
“Jarod is with you?” Sydney asked.
“Yes,” Sarah replied. “But I thought you would already know that. Didn’t you get the packages we sent you?”
“What packages?” Sydney asked. “We haven’t received any leads on or communication from Jarod in nearly four weeks.”
“Sydney!” Sarah said. “Get out of there right now! Go find the nearest bus and take it. Don’t get in your car!”
“Sarah,” Sydney asked “What are you thinking?”
“It’s one of the sims I did,” Sarah answered. “It’s a trap. Get you to confess that you helped me escape and then kill you as you try to escape. Then they’ll use my son to get Jarod and me back. Go Sydney! Go!”
Sarah hung up and handed her father the phone. She collapsed on the bed in tears. “How many more lives will they ruin Dad,” she said. “Why do they get away with tearing people apart?”
“I don’t know,” Jarod said as he took his daughter in his arms. “I don’t know.”
Sarah’s cell rang and she picked it up. “This is Sarah,” she said as calmly as she could.”
“You and Jarod have twenty four hours to return to the Centre,” said Mr. Raines raspy voice. “Or your son dies. I’ll call again with the conditions of your surrender”
Sarah heard Raines hang up and once again was in her father’s arms.
“We can’t go back,” Sarah said. “We can’t give in.”
Jarod looked at his daughter with surprise in his face. “You’re not willing to go back to save your son?”
“Would I be saving him?” Sarah asked. “Or would I just be condemning him to a childhood like mine and yours?”
“Make freeing him a condition of your surrender,” Jarod said.
“Why?” Sarah asked. “They wouldn’t free him and I would have no way of knowing if they ever did. We’ve got to rescue Paul, not give in.”
“Sarah,” Jarod said. “Let me turn myself in. I’ll create a distraction and then you can save Paul.”
“And lose you both?” Sarah said. “No way. It’s time I told you about your other son and daughter.
Jeremy was a pretender with weak skills, but his only loyalty was to himself; and when we were ten Mr. Raines figured out a way to brain wash him. He went from just avoiding pain through obedience to a robot. He never questioned or thought for himself after that he just acted.
Christina was not a pretender, but she was Mr. Raines favorite or so we all thought. One day when we were about twelve, I refused to do a sim. Mr. Raines brought in Christina and Jeremy. Jeremy had a gun to Christina’s head. Mr. Raines told me he would order Jeremy to shoot if I didn’t cooperate, so I did the Sim. When I was done… and when I was done Mr. Raines ordered Jeremy to shoot and he did. Jeremy put that gun into his own mouth three hours later and I was alone. I never did a sim for The Centre again. If I go back, they’ll use him against me. I’ll have to choose between harming those I don’t know and watching my son be tortured or possibly even killed.”
Sarah lay her head on Jarod’s shoulder once again, but no tears came. Together they sat grieving. Sarah for the brothers and sisters she lost, and Jarod for the children he would never know. How long they held each other that day neither of them could recall later, but it ended when Sarah’s phone rang.
It was Raines. “Go to the Dragon house and lay face down in the yard ten feet from the front door. Jarod knows where it is. I’ll call back in three hours and allow you to speak with your son. No tricks or he will die painfully. You have twenty two hours left.”
“He said we’re supposed to go to the Dragon House,” Sarah said hanging up the phone.
“We have to act fast,” Jarod said. “Let’s get to work.”
******************************************************************
Sydney made his way quickly to SL-15. Fear or not, he was not going to leave Anthony alone in this place. Upon entering the boys’ room, he signaled for the boy to be quiet and told him that they were going on a trip. Suddenly there was a quiet knocking on the cover of the airshaft. Angelo pushed open the grate and took the boy in his arms. Sydney followed them in and closed the cover behind himself before following Angelo through the air vents.
Angelo led them around corners and up ladders until Sydney would have had no way to get back without leaving the vents, but Angelo kept going without a pause. No one, not even The Centre’s designer could possibly know those air vents as well as Angelo.
Finally Angelo opened a last door and signaled for Sydney and the boy to exit. Quickly they went through the doorway and left Angelo alone. Though they were a good distance from the building as they climbed a ladder to their safety, Sydney could hear the alarms going off.
Thinking quickly Sydney picked up the child and headed towards Broots’ house. That would be one of the last places anyone would look and Broots would be sure to help especially where a child was involved. As scared as the man might be of those who ran The Centre, he would never deny a friend in need especially where children were involved.
part 3
By Sarah Elizabeth
Sydney picked up the green file from his desk and headed toward the sim lab. He’d received his orders that morning. He was once again doing what he had sworn never to do again. Training a Pretender to be used however The Centre saw fit. He had sworn to Jarod that he wasn’t doing it anymore, but his need for self-preservation was winning out over his guilt. But then it always had. Jacob had known, had in fact died trying to convince him to walk away.
The little boy sat on a chair in the sim lab swinging his legs back and forth and laying his head on his arm, which sat on the table before him. It reminded Sydney of the past and that he was once again repeating his past mistakes. Might as well get on with it he thought to himself as he walked through the door to the sim lab.
“Hello Thomas,” Sydney said. “I’m Sydney and I’ll be taking care of you for a while.”
“Okay,” Thomas replied as if used to changing caregivers.
“Let’s get started Thomas,” Sydney suggested.
“I’m hungry,” Thomas said. “And my name is Anthony.”
“I’m sorry,” Sydney said. “Your file says Thomas.”
“Mr. Raines said I have to change my name,” Anthony replied. “But I won’t. My name is Anthony not Thomas!”
“Well,” Sydney said signaling to one of the sweepers to get the boy some food. “We’ll have to talk to Mr. Raines about that won’t we.”
******************************************************************
“It’s been three hours,” Sarah said to Jarod as they sat in their hotel room anticipating a call from The Centre.
“They’ll call Sarah,” Jarod reassured her. “He’s not a Pretender. The only use they could have for him is as a hostage to get one or both of us back. They may wait until he’s secure, but they will call.”
“Do you have Sydney’s number?” Sarah asked Jarod.
“Yes, why?” Jarod asked.
“I want someone on the inside looking for him and I don’t know who else to trust.” Sarah said.
“Good idea,” Jarod said. “But make sure he doesn’t know where you are.”
“No problem,” Sarah said pulling out a CD and putting it into her computer.
Sarah turned the volume down on the computer so that the sounds of San Francisco’s Pier 39 could barely be heard, but was still loud enough to cover up local noises. She took Jarod’s phone and waited for Sydney to pick up.
“This is Sydney,” the voice on the other end said.
“Sydney, it’s Sarah,” Jarod’s daughter said a hint of panic in her voice.
“Sarah,” Sydney said. “This is dangerous, if the triumvirate finds out you’re alive…”
“They’ve known for weeks,” Sarah replied. “They took Paul six hours ago. Please Sydney try to find out where he is.”
“Where are you?” Sydney asked.
“I can’t tell you,” Sarah said. “Jarod thinks it’s a bad idea for you to know our location and I would tend to agree.”
“Jarod is with you?” Sydney asked.
“Yes,” Sarah replied. “But I thought you would already know that. Didn’t you get the packages we sent you?”
“What packages?” Sydney asked. “We haven’t received any leads on or communication from Jarod in nearly four weeks.”
“Sydney!” Sarah said. “Get out of there right now! Go find the nearest bus and take it. Don’t get in your car!”
“Sarah,” Sydney asked “What are you thinking?”
“It’s one of the sims I did,” Sarah answered. “It’s a trap. Get you to confess that you helped me escape and then kill you as you try to escape. Then they’ll use my son to get Jarod and me back. Go Sydney! Go!”
Sarah hung up and handed her father the phone. She collapsed on the bed in tears. “How many more lives will they ruin Dad,” she said. “Why do they get away with tearing people apart?”
“I don’t know,” Jarod said as he took his daughter in his arms. “I don’t know.”
Sarah’s cell rang and she picked it up. “This is Sarah,” she said as calmly as she could.”
“You and Jarod have twenty four hours to return to the Centre,” said Mr. Raines raspy voice. “Or your son dies. I’ll call again with the conditions of your surrender”
Sarah heard Raines hang up and once again was in her father’s arms.
“We can’t go back,” Sarah said. “We can’t give in.”
Jarod looked at his daughter with surprise in his face. “You’re not willing to go back to save your son?”
“Would I be saving him?” Sarah asked. “Or would I just be condemning him to a childhood like mine and yours?”
“Make freeing him a condition of your surrender,” Jarod said.
“Why?” Sarah asked. “They wouldn’t free him and I would have no way of knowing if they ever did. We’ve got to rescue Paul, not give in.”
“Sarah,” Jarod said. “Let me turn myself in. I’ll create a distraction and then you can save Paul.”
“And lose you both?” Sarah said. “No way. It’s time I told you about your other son and daughter.
Jeremy was a pretender with weak skills, but his only loyalty was to himself; and when we were ten Mr. Raines figured out a way to brain wash him. He went from just avoiding pain through obedience to a robot. He never questioned or thought for himself after that he just acted.
Christina was not a pretender, but she was Mr. Raines favorite or so we all thought. One day when we were about twelve, I refused to do a sim. Mr. Raines brought in Christina and Jeremy. Jeremy had a gun to Christina’s head. Mr. Raines told me he would order Jeremy to shoot if I didn’t cooperate, so I did the Sim. When I was done… and when I was done Mr. Raines ordered Jeremy to shoot and he did. Jeremy put that gun into his own mouth three hours later and I was alone. I never did a sim for The Centre again. If I go back, they’ll use him against me. I’ll have to choose between harming those I don’t know and watching my son be tortured or possibly even killed.”
Sarah lay her head on Jarod’s shoulder once again, but no tears came. Together they sat grieving. Sarah for the brothers and sisters she lost, and Jarod for the children he would never know. How long they held each other that day neither of them could recall later, but it ended when Sarah’s phone rang.
It was Raines. “Go to the Dragon house and lay face down in the yard ten feet from the front door. Jarod knows where it is. I’ll call back in three hours and allow you to speak with your son. No tricks or he will die painfully. You have twenty two hours left.”
“He said we’re supposed to go to the Dragon House,” Sarah said hanging up the phone.
“We have to act fast,” Jarod said. “Let’s get to work.”
******************************************************************
Sydney made his way quickly to SL-15. Fear or not, he was not going to leave Anthony alone in this place. Upon entering the boys’ room, he signaled for the boy to be quiet and told him that they were going on a trip. Suddenly there was a quiet knocking on the cover of the airshaft. Angelo pushed open the grate and took the boy in his arms. Sydney followed them in and closed the cover behind himself before following Angelo through the air vents.
Angelo led them around corners and up ladders until Sydney would have had no way to get back without leaving the vents, but Angelo kept going without a pause. No one, not even The Centre’s designer could possibly know those air vents as well as Angelo.
Finally Angelo opened a last door and signaled for Sydney and the boy to exit. Quickly they went through the doorway and left Angelo alone. Though they were a good distance from the building as they climbed a ladder to their safety, Sydney could hear the alarms going off.
Thinking quickly Sydney picked up the child and headed towards Broots’ house. That would be one of the last places anyone would look and Broots would be sure to help especially where a child was involved. As scared as the man might be of those who ran The Centre, he would never deny a friend in need especially where children were involved.
