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Chapter or Story 
Chapter or Story
Disclaimer: The Pretender belongs to its creators, NBC and all those people listed on the credits. As Jarod would say "You know the dance, Miss Parker." I don't own them; I'm just borrowing them and having them play out scenes from my overactive imagination.
Entanglement and Lies
By Apollo's Girl
(aka AG)
* * * * * * * * * * Part 3* * * * * * * * * *
Broots sat at his computer console and typed in endless searches for Jarod and Miss Parker. And as before, nothing came up. He was getting so tired of this, he was about ready to take the computer and throw it out the window. 'Wait… there is no window.' Broots thought as he looked around the room. 'Maybe I can just throw it against the wall a couple of times…' As he was contemplating the various things he could do to destroy the computer, he was interrupted by the clicks of heels. He immediately thought it was Miss Parker, but then heard the distinct sound of vinyl. 'Oh, God! Its Brigitte!'
"Morning Luv." She smirked as she pulled out her lollipop.
"Uh- hi, Brigitte." Broots replied while trying to put as much distance between himself and her.
"Have you found anything on my 'step-daughter' or Jarod?"
"No… nothing. It seems they have just disappeared."
"People don't disappear, Mr. Broots. I want information now. Actually I wanted it yesterday!" She hissed at him as she brought herself up closer to him.
Broots wished that Parker was back right then and now so that she could deal with Brigitte.
"If you keep threatening him, he's not going to get much done." Sydney replied as he walked into the room.
"Well if isn't the good Doctor." Brigitte sneered. "I wouldn't be yelling at him if could actually do his job."
"Maybe you should be doing yours." Lyle said as he joined the group.
"You shouldn't be talking to your 'mommy' like that!" Brigitte retorted.
"You are * Not * my mother. Broots?"
"Nothing sir." The techie replied as he hid himself behind the computer, quite glad that he hadn't destroyed it.
"Well keep working… Is there something else you wanted?" Lyle asked the fake brunette, 'or maybe it was fake blond…' He still wasn't quite sure.
"No. However my husband want's to see you for lunch today."
"Tell him I will try to make it."
Brigitte nodded and made her way out the door, although a very annoyed look was plastered on her face. Once she was out of the room, Lyle turned to Sydney and Broots.
"I want you to infiltrate Citadel Eugenics computers, Broots."
"Uh-what?"
"I want you to go in and find all the information you can on tests and experiments involving human test subjects." Lyle ordered, his voice at a low whisper.
"Uh-sure. Wha-what is it for?"
"None of your business. Just get it to me by the end of the day. And should you breathe a word of this to anyone I will kill you on the spot. Got it?"
"Yes sir."
"Sydney, follow me." Lyle ordered to the older man. Sydney nodded and followed, giving Broots a supportive pat on the back. Broots watched the retreating figures and wished that he knew what was going on. Something told him it wasn't good and he wished that Miss Parker was there. He wondered where she was and what she was doing.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Parker groaned as Jarod pulled her shirt off. She fell back against the couch, eliciting yet another painful cry. Jarod leaned over her running his hand along her arm.
"You should have been more careful!" Jarod chided as he went to look at her wound.
"Not my fault I tripped and fell against broken glass." Parker retorted, feeling slightly uncomfortable with the fact that she only had her bra on.
"You shouldn't have been running, especially in those
damn heels."
"I've run in them for the past two-and-a-half years chasing after you!"
"Well I've always told you that you shouldn’t!" Jarod replied as he went to get the first-aid kit. The two of them had been walking home from the park and somehow in the midst of their silence one of them ensued a silent challenge of who could walk home the fastest. By the time they were turning a corner, the speed walking turned into a running race. Parker had lost part of her balance on the turn and fell against the wall where glass bottles had been broken. Jarod helped her get up and saw that she was bleeding. Being stubborn, Parker refused to go to the hospital, so they were back at the penthouse. Jarod shook his head at her and came back with the first-aid kit. He looked over at her shirt as he walked towards her, "I think it's ruined."
"Damn-it!"
"I'll buy you a new one."
"I don't care about that. Oww! That stings!" Parker yelled as Jarod began to clean the wound on her arm.
"Well I need to clean and disinfect it." Jarod said as he put himself into doctor mode. "Hmmm, looks like you still have a piece stuck in there."
A cry of pain came from Miss Parker as Jarod took the piece of glass out. Jarod then cleaned it and wrapped it up. "Okay that takes care of the arm. Now your stomach."
"It just scratched." Parker replied as she watched
Jarod run his finger along her stomach, causing a moan to erupt in her throat.
"Hurts that bad?"
"Yes!" Parker replied quickly, trying to cover up the fact that she liked his hand on her body. However the next moan was of pain when he rubbed some alcohol over the cut. "Jesus Jarod! Can't you find a less painful way to clean it?"
"No."
"You are really enjoying this aren't you?"
"Causing you pain? No I'm not. Giving pleasure… Yes." Jarod smirked up at Parker. She looked at him in surprise then turned an icy glare on him.
"What do you mean?"
"I know when you are moaning and groaning for pleasure and when it's of pain. I'm pretty sure when I did this it was pleasure." Jarod said as he ran his fingers lightly across her skin. Parker let out a small moan.
"Yep, that was definitely one of pleasure."
"Don't flatter yourself Jarod!" Parker retorted. Jarod only smirked as Miss Parker pushed him away to go upstairs. Jarod laughed quietly as he heard her angry footsteps going up to the bedroom.
"This might turn out not to be a bad pretend after all."
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
The next morning Parker went downstairs dressed in her business attire. Today was her and Jarod's first day at Citadel Eugenics. She couldn't help but feel slightly nervous at what she was about to do, but at the same time was quite happy for the challenge. She walked in to the kitchen to find that a pot of coffee was ready for her. She poured herself a cup and took a satisfying sip. Parker smoothed her short black skirt and made sure that her blouse had no creases or wrinkles in it.
Jarod walked in with a newspaper and his briefcase looking very much like a professional business man. He was dressed in a similar black colored suit. His jacket was slung over the kitchen chair and his white shirt was colored by a dark blue tie. Parker couldn't help but notice how cute and GQ-ish he looked. 'Snap out of it Parker! This is Jarod!' She thought.
"Morning!" Jarod said as he put a pop tart in the toaster.
"Morning." Parker replied, by the sound of her voice he could tell she was still mad about the other day.
"Aww… Is my sweetie-pie not having a good morning?" He asked leaning his head over her shoulder.
"It would be much better if you get out of my personal space and that I didn't have to wake up seeing your face."
"What a wonderful way to greet your husband." Jarod replied fetching the pop tart out.
"You are only my * Pretend * husband!" Parker retorted.
"So are you ready for today?"
"As ready as I will be."
"Good." Jarod replied as he finished quickly finished the pop tart. "Hmmm… Parker did you know that a Pop tart has 11 essential-"
"Vitamins and minerals. Yes I do." Parker replied, Jarod looked at her in shock. "Broots informed me."
Jarod nodded. "So you ready to go?"
"Yep." Parker put her mug in the sink and grabbed her suit jacket. She put it on and walked towards the door. Jarod did the same and followed her. He held the door open for her, "After you Mrs. Hall."
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Jarod and Parker, otherwise known as Mr. and Mrs. Michael Hall, sat in Citadel Eugenics President Knight's office.
"Your records are very impressive." Alex Knight replied. "The two of you will be a wonderful asset to this company."
"Thank you. I'm very happy to become a part of this." Jarod replied. "We both are."
Parker smiled as brightly as she could when Jarod put his hand into hers. "Yes, I'm looking forward to working at Security."
"Good. Good. Well let me tell you both a little more about what you would be doing." Knight said. He looked similar to Mr. Parker, although a bit heavier, darker gray hair and no mustache. "Mr. Hall, you would be working with Research Team B. Your supervisor will be Dr. Janette Cumbers and she'll inform you more on the type of research you'll be doing and which projects you'll be a part of."
Jarod nodded and was quite pleased. He knew that Research Team B was the one working on the mysterious projects, especially Dr. Cumbers.
"Mrs. Hall, you'll be at security with Maurice Binks. He's head of security here and will train you in what you need to know. But from the looks of things you will probably just fit right in."
"Oh, I'm sure." Parker replied.
"Good then, I'll introduce you to them and the two of you can get started!" Mr. Knight smiled brightly at them and gestured for them to follow him out the door.
Jarod and Parker returned the smile and followed him out. Jarod placed his arm around Parker's waist, praying that this Pretend will work.
The three walked to a smaller room by the secretaries desk, inside was a man and a woman. Parker guessed that it was Maurice Binks and Janette Cumbers. She guessed right when Mr. Knight introduced them. Her new supervisor was very stony and seemed to posses no personality. He was tall, his face was leathery, and he was dressed in a dark gray suit. Janette Cumbers on the other hand was quite bubbly and a lot younger looking than her co-worker. She was a tall woman, with dirty blond hair pulled up into a French twist, and skirt that almost rivaled her own. Almost. Parker noticed that Dr. Cumbers was looking Jarod over and that she liked what she saw. Jarod didn't seem to notice the apparent interest of Dr. Cumbers. Parker put her arm through his and smiled brightly and warningly at the doctor. Jarod noticed how close Parker was putting herself by him and realized that she was jealous. He smiled down at her and patted her hand.
"I think that we should get started, shouldn't we dear?" He asked as they finished introductions and a bit of small talk about what specifically they would be doing.
"Yes, I personally would like to start working." Parker replied. "I think that this just might be the company for us."
"That's good!" Knight said happily. "Well Maurice, Janette, I'll let you two take over. Should you have any problems, Mr. and Mrs. Hall, just come to me."
"I doubt we will!" Parker replied, once again giving a warning glance at the blond doctor.
"Good, good."
"I'm going to enjoy working with you, Mr. Hall." Dr. Cumbers said.
"And I'm sure I will enjoy working with you."
"Mrs. Hall, I will give you a tour of the building today and let you get better acquainted with the security systems and protocols." Mr. Binks informed her. "It was nice meeting you Mr. Hall." Jarod shook his hand, "Nice meeting you too. I'm sure we'll be seeing a lot of each other."
"Hmph. I'm sure we will. Mrs. Hall?" Parker nodded and began to follow him out.
"I'll see you later, dear." Jarod replied.
"Alright, have fun." Parker said out loud, then leaning up to whisper in his ear. "Just not too much!"
"Jealous are we?" he whispered back.
"In your dreams, Wonder Boy." She stepped away from him with a small smirk. Before she walked completely away, Jarod gave her a kiss on the lips.
"Till later, sweetheart." He smiled and waved as she tried to keep her glare hidden away.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Jarod studied the documents placed in front of him by Dr. Cumbers. He was in his new office, which had a particularly nice view of the woods surrounding the complex.
"This will be your first project." Dr. Cumbers said as she pointed at a particular folder. "You will be researching how this drug, chem. 5723, helps reverse mental retardation. So far we have six subjects, mostly in there 20's. We administered the drug to them a little more than a month ago."
"Human subjects?" Jarod asked.
"We were granted permission by their families and the people themselves."
"So I am just to observe how the drug is affecting them?"
"Basically. We are also going to test the drug on people with an average IQ to see if it will help increase intelligence."
"I thought the company only did disease related research, Dr. Cumbers?" Jarod questioned.
"Call me Janette. And no, we also do some side research on drugs that we think may have other uses. We usually only do disease research, but like I said before if we think there could be another use we test it."
Jarod nodded in understanding, wondering exactly what other kinds of research they did that he wasn't being told about. The fact that they were working on drugs that could increase intelligence made him very suspicious that they may know about the pretender gene.
"Dr. Cum- Janette, I can't wait to start. Perhaps you could give me a tour of where I will be working?" Jarod asked.
"Sure, no problem. Follow me." Janette replied as she walked out the door. The went down the hall which was occupied by other offices and stopped at the elevator. She pushed the down button and they waited.
"So how long have you and your wife been married?"
"Two and a half years."
"The two of you seem very happy with each other."
"We are." Jarod said as the elevator door opened. The two stepped inside. "Are you married?"
"No. Haven't found the right man yet." Janette replied as she eyed Jarod. He shifted noticing her gaze.
"I'm sure you'll find him."
"Oh, I'm sure I will and when I do nothing will stop me from getting him, Michael!"
Jarod looked at her and then turned his attention back to the elevator doors. They opened up on level 1B, which were floors below the lobby. 'I guess they believe in sublevels too.' Jarod thought.
"This is the main floor that leads to the laboratories and other examination rooms." Janette explained as she showed him the security desk and the doors that led to the other rooms. "Patients usually go to rooms above the main lobby, those who are under our care for more than a week are down here. Sometimes the patients will come down here for procedures and operations."
"Seems a bit lifeless without windows." Jarod replied.
"It may seem that way but we make sure that are patients are able to get out once or twice everyday and if they are confined to a bed, we take them to the observatory floor reserved for patients."
Jarod nodded making no comment as he followed her.
"You will have to check in here at the security desk when you enter or leave. This helps protect the patients and the research. We don't want anyone who's not given clearance to get in. Your badge will has a bar code on it that has stored which areas you can enter and Eric here also has a print out listing of where you can go."
Eric nodded at Jarod and Janette. "Well its nice to see a new face, Mister?."
"Hall, Michael Hall. Its nice to meet you too Eric." Jarod smiled at the young security officer.
"I see you've met Mr. Simon."
Jarod turned around to see Miss Parker walking towards him along with Maurice Binks. The two were coming out of one of the secured laboratory areas.
"I'm being given the grand tour." Jarod replied. Parker nodded.
"Mrs. Hall, I hope you enjoyed your tour." Eric Simon asked. Jarod could tell that the man was clearly enamored with his * wife *.
"Quite, thank you." Parker said as she came up beside Jarod. He put an arm around her waist and gave her a kiss on the cheek.
"So Andrea what did you see so far?" He asked.
"Some of the labs, the security offices and stations and a couple of the examination rooms. I must say I'm quite impressed with the security here."
Her comment made Binks smile. Anyone who complimented his security made him a happy man. "Thank you. I must say that we have one of the finest security in all of the US and if I may say so myself better than the government."
"Maurice loves to brag about his security." Janette said teasingly.
"Hey if you got the best, why not show it off?"
Jarod was slightly surprised, since earlier he found Maurice Binks to be lacking in personality. It was nice to see that the man could be animate about something.
"Where are you off to now?" Parker asked.
"I was just about to show Michael the labs and examination rooms." Janette replied. Parker was surprised that the doctor was already calling Jarod by his first name.
"Well I won't keep you waiting. They have a nice layout here." Parker said as she moved herself out of Jarod's arm.
"I'll see you later for lunch."
"Alright."
Parker and Binks watched the two walk to one of the lab areas. Once they disappeared, Binks motioned for Parker to follow him.
"Here is the main security room for the lower levels. We have three security rooms. The main one for the upper levels and one for all levels."
"Where will I be working?"
"The lower levels. Most people start in the upper, but you seem pretty competent."
"I take it, the one for all levels are for those on the high end of command?"
"You are correct in your assumption, Mrs. Hall." Binks replied. "If I see that you are skilled enough you may be able to get there earlier. You seem to have a knack for picking things up quickly."
"I would like to say that I am the best at what I do. And if I'm not, I make myself the best."
"I like that in a person. Always pushing themselves." Binks said looking admirably at Parker.
Parker smiled and hoped that she would get that promotion quickly. If she did then this Pretend would end a lot sooner. She noticed a man sitting at one of the chairs and Binks introduced them.
"Harry Parth, this Andrea Hall. She will be a new member of our security team."
"Nice to meet you Miss. Hall."
"Mrs. Hall." Parker replied shaking the man's hand. "Its nice to meet you too."
Binks cleared his throat to get Parker's attention back. "Here as you can see are the video screens for all the cameras. We've placed cameras in all the halls and one in each room. Some have two depending on their size."
"What about patient privacy?"
"We follow the same guidelines as the doctors do. We do not discuss what is going on and we basically pretend that we don't know anything. Here are the control consoles and every time you come in here you are always to log in and out. As I told you before, you use your badge. Now should something happen down here, you call the security guards on here. There will be at least five guards on duty on each floor and one other one working at the security desk in each section."
"And there are ten floors?"
Binks nodded. "I will give you the maps and a couple of instruction manuals for you to study. Your access codes and other security clearances will also be given to you. I will train you for the next two days and then I'll let Harry take over. After that we'll see how it goes."
"Well I guess I'll be seeing you Mrs. Hall." Harry replied as she followed the chief of security out the door.
"Tomorrow. Count on it."
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Sydney sat at him home reading his book when he felt the presence of someone behind him. The person cleared his throat and Sydney relaxed.
"Mr. Lyle, how may I help you?" Sydney asked.
"I want you to keep my father busy while I check out Citadel Eugenics." Lyle said as he came into Sydney's view. Sydney brow creased as he looked at the man.
"Are you sure, Mr. Lyle? You don't have anything that says she's there."
"I have the picture."
"You can't be sure that's she's there though."
"Its better than not looking, Sydney." Lyle said in frustration.
"At least wait until Broots has more information." Sydney tried to reason.
"I have what I need and he's going to fax me some more tomorrow morning. I'm going and I need you to make sure that no one finds out."
"Shouldn't you be asking Broots to help you with that?" Sydney asked. Lyle looked at him.
"You can for me. Look, just keep the Centre away from me for a little while. Tell them I have a lead on my sister or something."
Sydney almost smiled. The request sounded a lot like Miss Parker's when she wanted to get away or look for something about her mother. He sighed. "Alright, but I wouldn't get your hopes up Lyle. There's always that possibility that she's-"
"Don't say it Sydney! She's not! I know that!"
"Alright I won't, but don't forget that's a possibility."
"I'm going to find my daughter."
"Be careful, Mr. Lyle."
"I will." With that Lyle left leaving Sydney to worry about him, Parker and Jarod. He prayed that all three would be alright.
Entanglement and Lies
By Apollo's Girl
(aka AG)
* * * * * * * * * * Part 3* * * * * * * * * *
Broots sat at his computer console and typed in endless searches for Jarod and Miss Parker. And as before, nothing came up. He was getting so tired of this, he was about ready to take the computer and throw it out the window. 'Wait… there is no window.' Broots thought as he looked around the room. 'Maybe I can just throw it against the wall a couple of times…' As he was contemplating the various things he could do to destroy the computer, he was interrupted by the clicks of heels. He immediately thought it was Miss Parker, but then heard the distinct sound of vinyl. 'Oh, God! Its Brigitte!'
"Morning Luv." She smirked as she pulled out her lollipop.
"Uh- hi, Brigitte." Broots replied while trying to put as much distance between himself and her.
"Have you found anything on my 'step-daughter' or Jarod?"
"No… nothing. It seems they have just disappeared."
"People don't disappear, Mr. Broots. I want information now. Actually I wanted it yesterday!" She hissed at him as she brought herself up closer to him.
Broots wished that Parker was back right then and now so that she could deal with Brigitte.
"If you keep threatening him, he's not going to get much done." Sydney replied as he walked into the room.
"Well if isn't the good Doctor." Brigitte sneered. "I wouldn't be yelling at him if could actually do his job."
"Maybe you should be doing yours." Lyle said as he joined the group.
"You shouldn't be talking to your 'mommy' like that!" Brigitte retorted.
"You are * Not * my mother. Broots?"
"Nothing sir." The techie replied as he hid himself behind the computer, quite glad that he hadn't destroyed it.
"Well keep working… Is there something else you wanted?" Lyle asked the fake brunette, 'or maybe it was fake blond…' He still wasn't quite sure.
"No. However my husband want's to see you for lunch today."
"Tell him I will try to make it."
Brigitte nodded and made her way out the door, although a very annoyed look was plastered on her face. Once she was out of the room, Lyle turned to Sydney and Broots.
"I want you to infiltrate Citadel Eugenics computers, Broots."
"Uh-what?"
"I want you to go in and find all the information you can on tests and experiments involving human test subjects." Lyle ordered, his voice at a low whisper.
"Uh-sure. Wha-what is it for?"
"None of your business. Just get it to me by the end of the day. And should you breathe a word of this to anyone I will kill you on the spot. Got it?"
"Yes sir."
"Sydney, follow me." Lyle ordered to the older man. Sydney nodded and followed, giving Broots a supportive pat on the back. Broots watched the retreating figures and wished that he knew what was going on. Something told him it wasn't good and he wished that Miss Parker was there. He wondered where she was and what she was doing.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Parker groaned as Jarod pulled her shirt off. She fell back against the couch, eliciting yet another painful cry. Jarod leaned over her running his hand along her arm.
"You should have been more careful!" Jarod chided as he went to look at her wound.
"Not my fault I tripped and fell against broken glass." Parker retorted, feeling slightly uncomfortable with the fact that she only had her bra on.
"You shouldn't have been running, especially in those
damn heels."
"I've run in them for the past two-and-a-half years chasing after you!"
"Well I've always told you that you shouldn’t!" Jarod replied as he went to get the first-aid kit. The two of them had been walking home from the park and somehow in the midst of their silence one of them ensued a silent challenge of who could walk home the fastest. By the time they were turning a corner, the speed walking turned into a running race. Parker had lost part of her balance on the turn and fell against the wall where glass bottles had been broken. Jarod helped her get up and saw that she was bleeding. Being stubborn, Parker refused to go to the hospital, so they were back at the penthouse. Jarod shook his head at her and came back with the first-aid kit. He looked over at her shirt as he walked towards her, "I think it's ruined."
"Damn-it!"
"I'll buy you a new one."
"I don't care about that. Oww! That stings!" Parker yelled as Jarod began to clean the wound on her arm.
"Well I need to clean and disinfect it." Jarod said as he put himself into doctor mode. "Hmmm, looks like you still have a piece stuck in there."
A cry of pain came from Miss Parker as Jarod took the piece of glass out. Jarod then cleaned it and wrapped it up. "Okay that takes care of the arm. Now your stomach."
"It just scratched." Parker replied as she watched
Jarod run his finger along her stomach, causing a moan to erupt in her throat.
"Hurts that bad?"
"Yes!" Parker replied quickly, trying to cover up the fact that she liked his hand on her body. However the next moan was of pain when he rubbed some alcohol over the cut. "Jesus Jarod! Can't you find a less painful way to clean it?"
"No."
"You are really enjoying this aren't you?"
"Causing you pain? No I'm not. Giving pleasure… Yes." Jarod smirked up at Parker. She looked at him in surprise then turned an icy glare on him.
"What do you mean?"
"I know when you are moaning and groaning for pleasure and when it's of pain. I'm pretty sure when I did this it was pleasure." Jarod said as he ran his fingers lightly across her skin. Parker let out a small moan.
"Yep, that was definitely one of pleasure."
"Don't flatter yourself Jarod!" Parker retorted. Jarod only smirked as Miss Parker pushed him away to go upstairs. Jarod laughed quietly as he heard her angry footsteps going up to the bedroom.
"This might turn out not to be a bad pretend after all."
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
The next morning Parker went downstairs dressed in her business attire. Today was her and Jarod's first day at Citadel Eugenics. She couldn't help but feel slightly nervous at what she was about to do, but at the same time was quite happy for the challenge. She walked in to the kitchen to find that a pot of coffee was ready for her. She poured herself a cup and took a satisfying sip. Parker smoothed her short black skirt and made sure that her blouse had no creases or wrinkles in it.
Jarod walked in with a newspaper and his briefcase looking very much like a professional business man. He was dressed in a similar black colored suit. His jacket was slung over the kitchen chair and his white shirt was colored by a dark blue tie. Parker couldn't help but notice how cute and GQ-ish he looked. 'Snap out of it Parker! This is Jarod!' She thought.
"Morning!" Jarod said as he put a pop tart in the toaster.
"Morning." Parker replied, by the sound of her voice he could tell she was still mad about the other day.
"Aww… Is my sweetie-pie not having a good morning?" He asked leaning his head over her shoulder.
"It would be much better if you get out of my personal space and that I didn't have to wake up seeing your face."
"What a wonderful way to greet your husband." Jarod replied fetching the pop tart out.
"You are only my * Pretend * husband!" Parker retorted.
"So are you ready for today?"
"As ready as I will be."
"Good." Jarod replied as he finished quickly finished the pop tart. "Hmmm… Parker did you know that a Pop tart has 11 essential-"
"Vitamins and minerals. Yes I do." Parker replied, Jarod looked at her in shock. "Broots informed me."
Jarod nodded. "So you ready to go?"
"Yep." Parker put her mug in the sink and grabbed her suit jacket. She put it on and walked towards the door. Jarod did the same and followed her. He held the door open for her, "After you Mrs. Hall."
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Jarod and Parker, otherwise known as Mr. and Mrs. Michael Hall, sat in Citadel Eugenics President Knight's office.
"Your records are very impressive." Alex Knight replied. "The two of you will be a wonderful asset to this company."
"Thank you. I'm very happy to become a part of this." Jarod replied. "We both are."
Parker smiled as brightly as she could when Jarod put his hand into hers. "Yes, I'm looking forward to working at Security."
"Good. Good. Well let me tell you both a little more about what you would be doing." Knight said. He looked similar to Mr. Parker, although a bit heavier, darker gray hair and no mustache. "Mr. Hall, you would be working with Research Team B. Your supervisor will be Dr. Janette Cumbers and she'll inform you more on the type of research you'll be doing and which projects you'll be a part of."
Jarod nodded and was quite pleased. He knew that Research Team B was the one working on the mysterious projects, especially Dr. Cumbers.
"Mrs. Hall, you'll be at security with Maurice Binks. He's head of security here and will train you in what you need to know. But from the looks of things you will probably just fit right in."
"Oh, I'm sure." Parker replied.
"Good then, I'll introduce you to them and the two of you can get started!" Mr. Knight smiled brightly at them and gestured for them to follow him out the door.
Jarod and Parker returned the smile and followed him out. Jarod placed his arm around Parker's waist, praying that this Pretend will work.
The three walked to a smaller room by the secretaries desk, inside was a man and a woman. Parker guessed that it was Maurice Binks and Janette Cumbers. She guessed right when Mr. Knight introduced them. Her new supervisor was very stony and seemed to posses no personality. He was tall, his face was leathery, and he was dressed in a dark gray suit. Janette Cumbers on the other hand was quite bubbly and a lot younger looking than her co-worker. She was a tall woman, with dirty blond hair pulled up into a French twist, and skirt that almost rivaled her own. Almost. Parker noticed that Dr. Cumbers was looking Jarod over and that she liked what she saw. Jarod didn't seem to notice the apparent interest of Dr. Cumbers. Parker put her arm through his and smiled brightly and warningly at the doctor. Jarod noticed how close Parker was putting herself by him and realized that she was jealous. He smiled down at her and patted her hand.
"I think that we should get started, shouldn't we dear?" He asked as they finished introductions and a bit of small talk about what specifically they would be doing.
"Yes, I personally would like to start working." Parker replied. "I think that this just might be the company for us."
"That's good!" Knight said happily. "Well Maurice, Janette, I'll let you two take over. Should you have any problems, Mr. and Mrs. Hall, just come to me."
"I doubt we will!" Parker replied, once again giving a warning glance at the blond doctor.
"Good, good."
"I'm going to enjoy working with you, Mr. Hall." Dr. Cumbers said.
"And I'm sure I will enjoy working with you."
"Mrs. Hall, I will give you a tour of the building today and let you get better acquainted with the security systems and protocols." Mr. Binks informed her. "It was nice meeting you Mr. Hall." Jarod shook his hand, "Nice meeting you too. I'm sure we'll be seeing a lot of each other."
"Hmph. I'm sure we will. Mrs. Hall?" Parker nodded and began to follow him out.
"I'll see you later, dear." Jarod replied.
"Alright, have fun." Parker said out loud, then leaning up to whisper in his ear. "Just not too much!"
"Jealous are we?" he whispered back.
"In your dreams, Wonder Boy." She stepped away from him with a small smirk. Before she walked completely away, Jarod gave her a kiss on the lips.
"Till later, sweetheart." He smiled and waved as she tried to keep her glare hidden away.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Jarod studied the documents placed in front of him by Dr. Cumbers. He was in his new office, which had a particularly nice view of the woods surrounding the complex.
"This will be your first project." Dr. Cumbers said as she pointed at a particular folder. "You will be researching how this drug, chem. 5723, helps reverse mental retardation. So far we have six subjects, mostly in there 20's. We administered the drug to them a little more than a month ago."
"Human subjects?" Jarod asked.
"We were granted permission by their families and the people themselves."
"So I am just to observe how the drug is affecting them?"
"Basically. We are also going to test the drug on people with an average IQ to see if it will help increase intelligence."
"I thought the company only did disease related research, Dr. Cumbers?" Jarod questioned.
"Call me Janette. And no, we also do some side research on drugs that we think may have other uses. We usually only do disease research, but like I said before if we think there could be another use we test it."
Jarod nodded in understanding, wondering exactly what other kinds of research they did that he wasn't being told about. The fact that they were working on drugs that could increase intelligence made him very suspicious that they may know about the pretender gene.
"Dr. Cum- Janette, I can't wait to start. Perhaps you could give me a tour of where I will be working?" Jarod asked.
"Sure, no problem. Follow me." Janette replied as she walked out the door. The went down the hall which was occupied by other offices and stopped at the elevator. She pushed the down button and they waited.
"So how long have you and your wife been married?"
"Two and a half years."
"The two of you seem very happy with each other."
"We are." Jarod said as the elevator door opened. The two stepped inside. "Are you married?"
"No. Haven't found the right man yet." Janette replied as she eyed Jarod. He shifted noticing her gaze.
"I'm sure you'll find him."
"Oh, I'm sure I will and when I do nothing will stop me from getting him, Michael!"
Jarod looked at her and then turned his attention back to the elevator doors. They opened up on level 1B, which were floors below the lobby. 'I guess they believe in sublevels too.' Jarod thought.
"This is the main floor that leads to the laboratories and other examination rooms." Janette explained as she showed him the security desk and the doors that led to the other rooms. "Patients usually go to rooms above the main lobby, those who are under our care for more than a week are down here. Sometimes the patients will come down here for procedures and operations."
"Seems a bit lifeless without windows." Jarod replied.
"It may seem that way but we make sure that are patients are able to get out once or twice everyday and if they are confined to a bed, we take them to the observatory floor reserved for patients."
Jarod nodded making no comment as he followed her.
"You will have to check in here at the security desk when you enter or leave. This helps protect the patients and the research. We don't want anyone who's not given clearance to get in. Your badge will has a bar code on it that has stored which areas you can enter and Eric here also has a print out listing of where you can go."
Eric nodded at Jarod and Janette. "Well its nice to see a new face, Mister?."
"Hall, Michael Hall. Its nice to meet you too Eric." Jarod smiled at the young security officer.
"I see you've met Mr. Simon."
Jarod turned around to see Miss Parker walking towards him along with Maurice Binks. The two were coming out of one of the secured laboratory areas.
"I'm being given the grand tour." Jarod replied. Parker nodded.
"Mrs. Hall, I hope you enjoyed your tour." Eric Simon asked. Jarod could tell that the man was clearly enamored with his * wife *.
"Quite, thank you." Parker said as she came up beside Jarod. He put an arm around her waist and gave her a kiss on the cheek.
"So Andrea what did you see so far?" He asked.
"Some of the labs, the security offices and stations and a couple of the examination rooms. I must say I'm quite impressed with the security here."
Her comment made Binks smile. Anyone who complimented his security made him a happy man. "Thank you. I must say that we have one of the finest security in all of the US and if I may say so myself better than the government."
"Maurice loves to brag about his security." Janette said teasingly.
"Hey if you got the best, why not show it off?"
Jarod was slightly surprised, since earlier he found Maurice Binks to be lacking in personality. It was nice to see that the man could be animate about something.
"Where are you off to now?" Parker asked.
"I was just about to show Michael the labs and examination rooms." Janette replied. Parker was surprised that the doctor was already calling Jarod by his first name.
"Well I won't keep you waiting. They have a nice layout here." Parker said as she moved herself out of Jarod's arm.
"I'll see you later for lunch."
"Alright."
Parker and Binks watched the two walk to one of the lab areas. Once they disappeared, Binks motioned for Parker to follow him.
"Here is the main security room for the lower levels. We have three security rooms. The main one for the upper levels and one for all levels."
"Where will I be working?"
"The lower levels. Most people start in the upper, but you seem pretty competent."
"I take it, the one for all levels are for those on the high end of command?"
"You are correct in your assumption, Mrs. Hall." Binks replied. "If I see that you are skilled enough you may be able to get there earlier. You seem to have a knack for picking things up quickly."
"I would like to say that I am the best at what I do. And if I'm not, I make myself the best."
"I like that in a person. Always pushing themselves." Binks said looking admirably at Parker.
Parker smiled and hoped that she would get that promotion quickly. If she did then this Pretend would end a lot sooner. She noticed a man sitting at one of the chairs and Binks introduced them.
"Harry Parth, this Andrea Hall. She will be a new member of our security team."
"Nice to meet you Miss. Hall."
"Mrs. Hall." Parker replied shaking the man's hand. "Its nice to meet you too."
Binks cleared his throat to get Parker's attention back. "Here as you can see are the video screens for all the cameras. We've placed cameras in all the halls and one in each room. Some have two depending on their size."
"What about patient privacy?"
"We follow the same guidelines as the doctors do. We do not discuss what is going on and we basically pretend that we don't know anything. Here are the control consoles and every time you come in here you are always to log in and out. As I told you before, you use your badge. Now should something happen down here, you call the security guards on here. There will be at least five guards on duty on each floor and one other one working at the security desk in each section."
"And there are ten floors?"
Binks nodded. "I will give you the maps and a couple of instruction manuals for you to study. Your access codes and other security clearances will also be given to you. I will train you for the next two days and then I'll let Harry take over. After that we'll see how it goes."
"Well I guess I'll be seeing you Mrs. Hall." Harry replied as she followed the chief of security out the door.
"Tomorrow. Count on it."
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Sydney sat at him home reading his book when he felt the presence of someone behind him. The person cleared his throat and Sydney relaxed.
"Mr. Lyle, how may I help you?" Sydney asked.
"I want you to keep my father busy while I check out Citadel Eugenics." Lyle said as he came into Sydney's view. Sydney brow creased as he looked at the man.
"Are you sure, Mr. Lyle? You don't have anything that says she's there."
"I have the picture."
"You can't be sure that's she's there though."
"Its better than not looking, Sydney." Lyle said in frustration.
"At least wait until Broots has more information." Sydney tried to reason.
"I have what I need and he's going to fax me some more tomorrow morning. I'm going and I need you to make sure that no one finds out."
"Shouldn't you be asking Broots to help you with that?" Sydney asked. Lyle looked at him.
"You can for me. Look, just keep the Centre away from me for a little while. Tell them I have a lead on my sister or something."
Sydney almost smiled. The request sounded a lot like Miss Parker's when she wanted to get away or look for something about her mother. He sighed. "Alright, but I wouldn't get your hopes up Lyle. There's always that possibility that she's-"
"Don't say it Sydney! She's not! I know that!"
"Alright I won't, but don't forget that's a possibility."
"I'm going to find my daughter."
"Be careful, Mr. Lyle."
"I will." With that Lyle left leaving Sydney to worry about him, Parker and Jarod. He prayed that all three would be alright.
