Disclaimer: The characters Miss Parker, Sydney, Jarod, Broots etc. and the fictional Centre, are all property of MTM and NBC Productions and used without permission. I'm not making any money out of this and no infringement is intended.

Special thanks to Danielle : - ) for her incredible fast and good job in editing this! Thank you very much!!
Also to Emily, she started the Picture Story Challenge, without it this story would not exist! So Emily this is for you!
 
 
 

"No, you stay here! " Jarod placed a hand at the wall to keep her from moving away.  He was furious. It was to late anyway, but he wanted to hear why. "Now I am waiting", he demanded.

Miss Parker kept her gaze on his left arm, her mind was racing, trying to come up with an explanation. He was just too close and she never saw him so angry. He had every right to be, from his point of view. She knew there was no other way.
"Jarod.... " she trailed off, trying to gather her thoughts. 'Come get a grip, you know it is the best way.'

A silent battle in her head.
She could feel herself slowly slipping back into the cold unmoving image she had pretended to be so many years. He never had believed her, maybe now.

"Jarod", she began again, her voice now clear steady raising her gaze , looking him directly into his eyes. „what do you want, this is all none of your business, and you know the whole think was just an accident."

She saw his eyes darken a bit more.

"Nothing more than another little science experiment", she curled her lips up in a little smile, raising one eyebrow at him. Mocking him, making a joke out of him and his feelings. For a split second she thought he would slap her.

"Science experiment? " he choked. This could be not true, she would never... he stared in her eyes....dark blue and sparkling in the dim light. Laughing, laughing about his feelings. He was such a fool, everybody had seen in her what she was, only he demanded that they all had been wrong. That she was not cold and selfish, uncaring. Now she was there in front of him against  that damn wall

After he received the file he tried to reach her, to hear that it was faked, that it was not true. He wanted to hear .. yes what ? That she loved him , that she never would do anything so cruel?

He tried to ask her, he called her, but as soon as she heard his voice she ended the call. 24 hours and he finally was able to catch her alone. Now here he was looking at her hearing her words, but not believing them. A little voice in his head came up and told him he had always known. 'What have you expected? She is a Parker'

It was even more horrible to see her leaning back, relaxed confident unmoving.... uncaring.... than the call he made earlier, his last try to get her into talking over the phone. But Lyle had picked up. He had laughed at him, what he still wanted, it was already to late.  He better should deliver himself to the Centre......

With this he simply hung up. His laugh still echoed in his ears.

But this was nothing comparing to her silent laugh. He had to fight not to take her and shake  her, try to get an sense or any feeling into her mind.

He simply had to admit that she had lied, nothing she had told him that night had been true. It had been a kind of game for her, nothing more, he was a toy for her, used and thrown away.

Miss Parker could see his thoughts racing, his expression changing from shock to deep disgust, not hate, or pity, just disgust, it was like a knife in her heart. She could not tell where she got the strength to keep up her attitude. Her heart cried out not to believe his eyes. But her performance was perfect. She was in her own way as well trained as Jarod. Not by sims but by her life.

Jarod slowly pushed his body up, away from the wall, away from her. He took two steps back, his gaze roaming  over her body.

He shook his head in disbelief., but he could tell it was the truth. His friend was dead, died long ago in one of the dark corridors of the Centre, dead and buried with her mother. She had lost her soul, has sold it to the Centre. It was true, the file was no fake, she had done it.

"How could you do this? " he asked, with this he turned and moved further to the shadows of the night. When his
 figure was not more than an outline he turned a last time,  glanced back at her, still leaning against the wall.

"This little science experiment was our Baby. You have killed our child, I hope you are happy now. " with this he vanished into the darkness.

He was sitting in the semi dark of this room. After his little conversation all he wanted was to go away. Somehow he ended up in this motel, somewhere along the road. In front of him a half empty bottle of whisky and his cell phone. Jarod eyed the freshly filled glass and the phone, carefully he picked up the phone, in slow motion he pushed the second number on his speed deal.

****

"This is Sydney",  a low voice with a gentle accent said. Seconds later Sydney was about to ask who was there when he finally hear something on the other end.

"Sydney?"

Sydney had trouble identifying this voice as Jarod's. He always sounded different, excited, cheerful, concerned what ever, but he was always clear to understand, but now he slurred, almost as if he was....

"Jarod? Jarod what is up, you are all right?" his words alarmed the other person in the room.

Broots looked from his screen over to the older man.

"Sydney you are alone?"

The voice slurred again  into Sydney's ear.

"No, Broots is with me." He hesitated for a second "Miss Parker is not here. " He finally said.

"Oh good, .... "He paused to focus on his words, his mind was reeling, the alcohol was no help in this. "How could she do this, Sydney? "

There was so much pain in his voice that the older man was not able to answer. To know the young man he cared deeply for,  was somewhere alone and wounded, broke his heart. What could he do, there was no refuge for Jarod. No place he could turn.

He had no family, or better to say nobody know where they where, nobody saw the Major or Jay again after they took off from the airfield. He was sure the Centre would follow his every word closely but the urge to ask him where he was so he could go and try to comfort him was nearly overwhelming. Miss Parker had been always been like a daughter to him and with all the incidents around Project Gemini and her actions he really had hoped.. .. dam that she not only looked like Catherine, that she had her heart, her passion.

"Syd, please I need to know...."
 

Jarod's helpless plea was almost enough to make Sydney cry as well and he thought he had no tears anymore after Jacob's accident and Catherine's death....

But how to answer a question when you do not know the answer there is not even a comforting lie.

"I don't know", he finally stated with a deep sigh.

"Liar! It was a Centre plan. It was all a fake, she tried to set up a trap. She and her lovely brother. Only their plan failed, a baby was not on their schedule, so what to do? No problem, erase what is not wanted. The Chairman's daughter with a child from a Lab rat, this would not look good in her record. I was not even worth enough to her to tell me. Do you know that she had called the baby an accident, a science experiment" The last words he nearly shouted. With all his remaining strength he threw the phone  at the next wall, watched it shatter in 1000 pieces like his life. 

Sydney stared at the phone.

"Sydney you are OK?", Broots hesitantly stepped closer to the desk of the older man. He was not sure what he should say. His friend was simply sitting there staring at the phone. He had heard that he had talked with Jarod. The last words from the Pretender had been so loud that he heard the voice in his corner of the room, he had not been able to understand the words, but he had a clear picture what it had been about.

Sydney looked at him, that back to the phone comma realizing that he still held it in his hand, exhaling slowly he laid it down.

"No, I am not and neither is Jarod. You know someone their whole life, you see them grow up, you work with them and suddenly you learn you know nothing. Everything you believed in was a fake. I saw Miss Parker changing, but I always believed she was still the lovely girl I knew. I was always sure there was more between Jarod and her than you could see. always been so good for each other. I hoped.... " the older man trailed off.

Broots was not sure what to say, he had never seen Sydney so out of balance, he could not even remember that he said ever so much. He was normally the quiet person in the background, listening, a knowing smile on his lips. Observing. Always so controlled. Now he looked like he had slept in his suit for a week, his eyes were tired, he Broots could even see his hands trembling. Everything he had believed in was slipping away. Jarod had always been like a son to him."

To see him reunited with his father had been hard for him. He had feared to losing  him. He had risked everything to save the Clone,  the thought of the lab in Donoterase still sent a shiver down his spine. All those dead babies, the thought brought him back.

"Sydney, uh.. do you have a  any idea where Jarod is? " Broots asked quietly.

The man behind the desk looked up confused.

"No, why do you ask, do you want to send some sweeper to get him, cause he would maybe not run this time? " Sydney replied with a angry voice, hurt and betrayal evident in each word.

Broots shifted unsurely from one foot to the other, he was not sure if he should go on. Maybe this was the time to talk about it, maybe he could now do something for his friends and maybe sharing his story would help Jarod and so Sydney. Broots was not upset that his college had reacted that way. Sydney had been sure about Miss Parker that he could trust her, that he knew her and that she would never do anything that would really harm Jarod. But he had been wrong, so why trusting him, they knew each other only for some years, the woman he saw grow up had made him lose faith in his own judgment.

"This is not the reason I asked. " Broots stopped again, still not sure if he should really go on. Before he could change his mind, he decided to tell Sydney, maybe after all the time there could be at least something useful coming out of it.

"Sydney, I have told nobody, but maybe it is time to do it now. My ex-wife never wanted children, they where simply useless for her, as waste of time and money, ruining the shape of her body.  Then she got pregnant with Debbie and we had a hell of a fight I was scared she would do something stupid, like have an abortion.  I was so relieved when I was able to hold my baby girl for the first time. She was a miracle. The only good thing I had ever done in my life." He took a shuddering breath before he continued.

"Debbie was about 2 years old, I found an invoice from a doctor. Debbie was supposed to have a brother or sister.  The invoice was nearly 2 months old. I had no idea. I confronted her with,  this, she said she simply forgot to tell me, it would it was no big deal. Sydney can you imagine this? I looked at her and I could tell, she really could not understand why I was upset. For her it was not no different than to go to a coiffeur."

He looked at the shocked psychiatrist

"You know, there was never a question that Debbie's mother did not want her. So I was surprised that she took her after our divorce, but as you know not for too long. I saw Miss Parker with Debbie, first I was not sure if she would not hurt her even more, but Debbie adored her. After the first time she spent some time with her, Debbie nearly stopped talking and asking about her mother. Funny or? After seeing Miss Parker, with Debbie I always thought she would make a good mother and I even thought she would like to have  or  children "

Sydney was about to answer as both men heard a loud argument in front of the door.  Soon the door was pushed open and  Miss Parker and Mr. Lyle came inside.

"She is my project. I captured her!" the young man stated in an, angry voice.

"Oh, poor bro",  Miss Parker replied with a sarcastic smile. "But I think in this case I really have to thank you!" She turned to both men at the other side of the room.

"Broots, Sydney, there is something you need to know. ", she glanced over to her brother who looked completely frustrated.

"Lyle will be now replace me here, he will work with you, also Angelo will be assigned to your team permanently. The
Triumverate expects from your team soon results."

"May I ask you where you are going now Miss Parker?" Sydney inquired.

Lyle let out a low sneer. ,

"You my may ask", with this Miss Parker turned and walked out of the room.

"What was this all about?" Broots asked completely confused.

"This, " Lyle answered, "was my dear sister's way to let us know she won. At least for the moment. It seems you have not heard the good news. After you failed for more than 3 years to catch Jarod, I was able to catch his sister today..."

Lyle stopped and savored the shocked expression on the other men's faces. He stepped closer and continued.

"Our lovely Miss Parker convinced the Triumverate to restart the Project Gemini. She is in charge and Emily is her number one lab rat now."
 
 

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