Table of Contents [Report This]
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 4
By Sarah Elizabeth
Debbie and Broots were in the kitchen when they heard Sydney’s knock on the door. Debbie ran to get it hoping it was one of her friends to rescue her from her dad’s attempt at teaching her to cook; something that he was not very good at himself.
“Dad,” Debbie called. “It’s Sydney and some kid.”
Broots ran from the kitchen and quickly ushered the two visitors in. The look on Sydney’s face told Broots that this was not a social call.
“Debbie,” Broots suggested. “Why don’t you take the boy into the playroom.”
“Dad,” Debbie sighed. “I don’t have any baby toys.”
“Just take him,” Broots said. “Read him a story.”
“I can read to myself,” Anthony informed Broots.
Debbie took Anthony’s hand and led him down the hall, but they stopped just far enough in to be hidden from the view of those in the living room.
“What’s going on Syd?” Broots asked nervously. “Who’s the boy?”
“The triumverate has put out a termination order on me,” Sydney explained. “The boy’s name is Anthony. He’s a new Centre project assigned to me recently.”
“Why would they put out a death order on you?” Broots asked. “I thought you were what was keeping Jarod from disappearing forever.”
“I helped one of their pretenders escape nearly three years ago,” Sydney said. “We set it up to make it look like she was dead, but apparently several weeks ago they discovered that she was alive.”
“But how do they know that you helped her?” Broots asked.
“She called me earlier today,” Sydney said. “I was talking about it over the phone.”
“Oh God Syd,” Broots said. “What are you going to do?”
“Find Jarod,” Sydney said. “But I need some help first.”
“Anything,” Broots said.
“Some cash,” Sydney began. “I can’t go home and they can track everything else. I’ll pay you back as soon as I can.”
“No problem,” Broots said. “I’ve been saving cash since Debbie was born in case we ever had to run.”
“One more thing,” Sydney said. “The pretender I helped to rescue, her name is Sarah, and she has a 2 ½ year old son. They’ve kidnapped him and are holding him hostage to get Sarah and Jarod to return to The Centre. Find out where they’re keeping him.”
“I’ll do my best,” Broots said as he pulled out some cash from under the carpet.
“Thank you Broots,” Sydney said. “Anthony, It’s time to go so you two can come out of hiding.”
Debbie and Anthony quickly returned to the living room. Broots and Sydney noted the look on Debbie’s face; a mix of terror and anger.
******************************************************************
Sarah had found an excuse to be alone for a few minutes and was now sitting in the abandoned pool area, while Jarod hid nearby just inside the entrance to the showers. Pulling her phone from her jacket pocket, she quickly dialed a number and waited for someone to pick up on the other end.
“Jason,” Sarah said. “This is Sarah. You heard?.. Of course. I’m not letting him go… I’ll keep you up to date. Bye.”
Sarah put her phone away and headed to the hotel’s restaurant to get their breakfast as that had been her excuse for leaving.
After ordering she sat on a padded bench to wait. She saw a mother sitting at a table with a small boy. The boy was eating pancakes and had syrup all over his face. The mother was dipping his napkin in water and was trying to wipe it off. Sarah’s mind went over all of the times she had done the same thing in the last few years and how she had always been slightly embarrased at the mess her son had made. She’d leave an extra large tip to make up for the extra work the employees had to do because of him. Now she wanted to do nothing more.
Unable to stand it any longer, Sarah got up and started to head for the door. The cashier stopped her and handed her a bag of food. Sarah grabbed the bag and went through the door without a word. She ran back up to her room and fell onto the bed. The bag slipped to the floor and she lay crying for her son and for herself.
******************************************************************
Miss Parker stormed into the tech room. “Broots!” she said fiercely. “What’ve you got?”
“Nnn no sign of him Miss Parker,” Broots said. “It’s like he’s just vanished.”
“Well find him!” Miss Parker said. “Where’s Sydney? I need to talk to him.”
“I’m not sure,” Broots answered nervously. “He hasn’t come in today.”
“What aren’t you telling me?” Miss Parker asked in a demanding tone.
“Wha… What do you mean Miss Parker?” Broots asked.
“About Sydney,” she answered him.
“Miss Parker I promised him I wouldn’t…” Broots began.
“Tell me,” Miss Parker threatened him. “Or you’ll be eating through a straw!”
“The tower put out an SOS on him for helping a pretender escape,” Broots said.
“Jarod?” Miss Parker asked.
“No,” he answered. “A woman named Sarah. I’ve been doing some research. She was part of a project called prodigy 2. She was born in 1974 and raised in SL 27 until the fire in 1982. Mr. Raines was in charge of the project, but that’s about all there is on her.”
“That’s it?” Miss Parker said raising an eyebrow. “Broots, I want you to keep digging and report back to me as soon as you find anything.” Miss Parker swept toward the exit and then stopped. “And Broots, don’t tell anyone about this.”
“Yes Ma’am,” Broots replied as Miss Parker left the room.
Broots returned to the computer in front of him. He’d been working for two hours, but so far there had been no sign of Paul. He hoped that Sydney and Anthony were okay. At least he’d been able to give them enough cash for a room and food for a few days.
******************************************************************
It was after about five minutes of lying on the bed and feeling sorry for herself that Sarah realized that her father was no longer in the room. She had just decided to go look for him when her phone began to ring.
“This is Sarah,” she answered.
“Your surrender will be unconditional,” said Mr. Raines from the other end. “Both you and Jarod are to turn yourselves in. You are not to bring anyone else with you and you are to come empty handed. If you do not comply you will never see your son alive again.”
“Please,” Sarah begged. “Let me talk to my son. Let me hear his voice.”
“No,” Raines said. “When you and Jarod are secured at The Centre we will place your son in a foster home. Put Jarod on the line.”
“Jarod isn’t with me,” Sarah informed him as she realized where Jarod might be.
“Find him, and have him call me,” Raines responded. “Or your son will pay the price.”
Sarah heard the beep as Raines hung up on the other end and dialed Sydney’s number.
“This is Sydney,” the man said from the other end.
“Sydney,” Sarah said. “Have you heard anything yet about Paul?”
“Nothing yet,” Sydney answered. “But I have a friend working on it.”
“Thank you Sydney,” Sarah said. “How are you doing?”
“We made it out of The Centre all right,” Sydney answered.
“We?” Sarah asked surprised. “Who’s with you?”
“The Centre’s latest project,” Sydney said. “They decided a few years ago to renew Prodigy 2.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Sarah said. “If I had known when I escaped I would have done something to stop them.”
“I’ve only known for a couple of days myself,” Sydney answered. “I just met the boy yesterday.”
“Sydney,” Sarah said. “I’ll call you in a couple hours. Jarod left our room without telling me first and Raines wants to call.”
“Sarah,” Sydney said quickly.
“Yeah,” she answered.
“Don’t surrender yourself to him,” the man said. “If you do you’ll never see your son again.”
“Sydney,” Sarah said. “You ought to know me better than that. I never give in.”
Sarah hung up her phone and headed toward the lobby to look for her father. She checked at the desk for messages and then went outside to check the grounds. After checking the restaurant and walking between the buildings she headed to the pool area.
When she got there she noticed a piece of paper on the table where she had sat not long ago. On it was a single word in her father’s handwriting: LIAR. Sarah sat slowly down in her chair and realized that Jarod was gone.
part 4
By Sarah Elizabeth
Debbie and Broots were in the kitchen when they heard Sydney’s knock on the door. Debbie ran to get it hoping it was one of her friends to rescue her from her dad’s attempt at teaching her to cook; something that he was not very good at himself.
“Dad,” Debbie called. “It’s Sydney and some kid.”
Broots ran from the kitchen and quickly ushered the two visitors in. The look on Sydney’s face told Broots that this was not a social call.
“Debbie,” Broots suggested. “Why don’t you take the boy into the playroom.”
“Dad,” Debbie sighed. “I don’t have any baby toys.”
“Just take him,” Broots said. “Read him a story.”
“I can read to myself,” Anthony informed Broots.
Debbie took Anthony’s hand and led him down the hall, but they stopped just far enough in to be hidden from the view of those in the living room.
“What’s going on Syd?” Broots asked nervously. “Who’s the boy?”
“The triumverate has put out a termination order on me,” Sydney explained. “The boy’s name is Anthony. He’s a new Centre project assigned to me recently.”
“Why would they put out a death order on you?” Broots asked. “I thought you were what was keeping Jarod from disappearing forever.”
“I helped one of their pretenders escape nearly three years ago,” Sydney said. “We set it up to make it look like she was dead, but apparently several weeks ago they discovered that she was alive.”
“But how do they know that you helped her?” Broots asked.
“She called me earlier today,” Sydney said. “I was talking about it over the phone.”
“Oh God Syd,” Broots said. “What are you going to do?”
“Find Jarod,” Sydney said. “But I need some help first.”
“Anything,” Broots said.
“Some cash,” Sydney began. “I can’t go home and they can track everything else. I’ll pay you back as soon as I can.”
“No problem,” Broots said. “I’ve been saving cash since Debbie was born in case we ever had to run.”
“One more thing,” Sydney said. “The pretender I helped to rescue, her name is Sarah, and she has a 2 ½ year old son. They’ve kidnapped him and are holding him hostage to get Sarah and Jarod to return to The Centre. Find out where they’re keeping him.”
“I’ll do my best,” Broots said as he pulled out some cash from under the carpet.
“Thank you Broots,” Sydney said. “Anthony, It’s time to go so you two can come out of hiding.”
Debbie and Anthony quickly returned to the living room. Broots and Sydney noted the look on Debbie’s face; a mix of terror and anger.
******************************************************************
Sarah had found an excuse to be alone for a few minutes and was now sitting in the abandoned pool area, while Jarod hid nearby just inside the entrance to the showers. Pulling her phone from her jacket pocket, she quickly dialed a number and waited for someone to pick up on the other end.
“Jason,” Sarah said. “This is Sarah. You heard?.. Of course. I’m not letting him go… I’ll keep you up to date. Bye.”
Sarah put her phone away and headed to the hotel’s restaurant to get their breakfast as that had been her excuse for leaving.
After ordering she sat on a padded bench to wait. She saw a mother sitting at a table with a small boy. The boy was eating pancakes and had syrup all over his face. The mother was dipping his napkin in water and was trying to wipe it off. Sarah’s mind went over all of the times she had done the same thing in the last few years and how she had always been slightly embarrased at the mess her son had made. She’d leave an extra large tip to make up for the extra work the employees had to do because of him. Now she wanted to do nothing more.
Unable to stand it any longer, Sarah got up and started to head for the door. The cashier stopped her and handed her a bag of food. Sarah grabbed the bag and went through the door without a word. She ran back up to her room and fell onto the bed. The bag slipped to the floor and she lay crying for her son and for herself.
******************************************************************
Miss Parker stormed into the tech room. “Broots!” she said fiercely. “What’ve you got?”
“Nnn no sign of him Miss Parker,” Broots said. “It’s like he’s just vanished.”
“Well find him!” Miss Parker said. “Where’s Sydney? I need to talk to him.”
“I’m not sure,” Broots answered nervously. “He hasn’t come in today.”
“What aren’t you telling me?” Miss Parker asked in a demanding tone.
“Wha… What do you mean Miss Parker?” Broots asked.
“About Sydney,” she answered him.
“Miss Parker I promised him I wouldn’t…” Broots began.
“Tell me,” Miss Parker threatened him. “Or you’ll be eating through a straw!”
“The tower put out an SOS on him for helping a pretender escape,” Broots said.
“Jarod?” Miss Parker asked.
“No,” he answered. “A woman named Sarah. I’ve been doing some research. She was part of a project called prodigy 2. She was born in 1974 and raised in SL 27 until the fire in 1982. Mr. Raines was in charge of the project, but that’s about all there is on her.”
“That’s it?” Miss Parker said raising an eyebrow. “Broots, I want you to keep digging and report back to me as soon as you find anything.” Miss Parker swept toward the exit and then stopped. “And Broots, don’t tell anyone about this.”
“Yes Ma’am,” Broots replied as Miss Parker left the room.
Broots returned to the computer in front of him. He’d been working for two hours, but so far there had been no sign of Paul. He hoped that Sydney and Anthony were okay. At least he’d been able to give them enough cash for a room and food for a few days.
******************************************************************
It was after about five minutes of lying on the bed and feeling sorry for herself that Sarah realized that her father was no longer in the room. She had just decided to go look for him when her phone began to ring.
“This is Sarah,” she answered.
“Your surrender will be unconditional,” said Mr. Raines from the other end. “Both you and Jarod are to turn yourselves in. You are not to bring anyone else with you and you are to come empty handed. If you do not comply you will never see your son alive again.”
“Please,” Sarah begged. “Let me talk to my son. Let me hear his voice.”
“No,” Raines said. “When you and Jarod are secured at The Centre we will place your son in a foster home. Put Jarod on the line.”
“Jarod isn’t with me,” Sarah informed him as she realized where Jarod might be.
“Find him, and have him call me,” Raines responded. “Or your son will pay the price.”
Sarah heard the beep as Raines hung up on the other end and dialed Sydney’s number.
“This is Sydney,” the man said from the other end.
“Sydney,” Sarah said. “Have you heard anything yet about Paul?”
“Nothing yet,” Sydney answered. “But I have a friend working on it.”
“Thank you Sydney,” Sarah said. “How are you doing?”
“We made it out of The Centre all right,” Sydney answered.
“We?” Sarah asked surprised. “Who’s with you?”
“The Centre’s latest project,” Sydney said. “They decided a few years ago to renew Prodigy 2.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Sarah said. “If I had known when I escaped I would have done something to stop them.”
“I’ve only known for a couple of days myself,” Sydney answered. “I just met the boy yesterday.”
“Sydney,” Sarah said. “I’ll call you in a couple hours. Jarod left our room without telling me first and Raines wants to call.”
“Sarah,” Sydney said quickly.
“Yeah,” she answered.
“Don’t surrender yourself to him,” the man said. “If you do you’ll never see your son again.”
“Sydney,” Sarah said. “You ought to know me better than that. I never give in.”
Sarah hung up her phone and headed toward the lobby to look for her father. She checked at the desk for messages and then went outside to check the grounds. After checking the restaurant and walking between the buildings she headed to the pool area.
When she got there she noticed a piece of paper on the table where she had sat not long ago. On it was a single word in her father’s handwriting: LIAR. Sarah sat slowly down in her chair and realized that Jarod was gone.
