Disclaimer : See Part One
Title - The Family Game
Author - KB
E-mail address - gekbruce@melbpc.org.au
Rating - G
Category - Drama
Spoilers - I suppose so
Series/Sequel - Part 6 of Total Recall
Summary - There's a new player in the game...
"The Family
Game"
By KB
Jennifer stood in front of the stove and stirred vigorously at the contents of a pot on the stove. As she stood with the wooden door open and only the wire security door between her and the many mosquitos buzzing around outside, she heard a car pull up in the driveway and two doors slam.
“Daddy, that was the best trip. Can we do it again?”
“Maybe, but don’t tell your mother. She worries enough about that as it is.”
“Yes,” said Jennifer as the door opened and the two entered the room. “I do worry about the way you drive the car when your son is in it with you.” She turned and glared at Jarod, who looked abruptly from her to his son.
“Kyle, go and play in your room for a minute.”
“Are you two…”
“Kyle, go!”
Jennifer threw the spoon with which she had been stirring the pot into the sink so hard that it nearly flew out again.
“How many times do I have to tell you not to speed when your son is in the car. You know he wants to do everything that you do!”
“Jen, it’s…”
“I don’t want to hear it. I just don’t want you to do it again.” Jarod leant against the cupboard door on the other side of the kitchen and watched as she stormed around the kitchen, getting out the plates for dinner. The years had taught him that the best way to deal with her was to wait until the anger subsided.
“Jen, the reason that I drove fast was because Parker was in the car behind.”
“What?!” She spun around and stared at him.
“I saw Parker and Sam in the car behind me.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m positive.”
Jennifer slowly turned from the sink and stared at Jarod for several seconds before running into his outstretched arms. With a trembling hand, as he recalled the urgency of the moment, he stroked her shining red hair.
“Mommy, Daddy, are you still fighting?” Jennifer and Jarod turned with a slight laugh and Jennifer freed an arm and held it out to her son. He moved over and joined in the hug.
“No, son, we’re not fighting anymore.”
***
Miss Parker stared out of the window at the setting sun. Her baby brother was curled up, a sleeping ball in her arms, and it was at moments like these that she wondered what kind of a father Thomas would have made. She had virtually adopted her brother, her father being totally wrapped up in his work at the Centre and Miss Parker sometimes wondered if he even knew that his wife was gone. It was about the same amount of emotion that he had shown when her mother had died. And the memory of her mother caused Miss Parker’s arms to tighten on her brother until he woke up with a squawk. With a small laugh, she loosened her hold and pulled her mind from the past to the present as she got up to feed her brother and herself.
***
Jarod woke with a start and gazed frantically around the room for several seconds. He looked over to Jennifer, where she slept beside him. Confused thoughts in his mind, he silently got up and moved into the other bedroom, where his ten month old son slept in his cot. He had a memory of hearing that if you pinched yourself, you would know if you were dreaming. Having done so and felt the pain, he realised that this was the real thing and the other was the dream. It had been so realistic. He shook his head in confusion before moving out into the living room. The sun was minutes from rising and Jarod opened the door and went outside. He sat down on the top step of the porch with his knees curled up in front of him and his hands linked around them.
“You’re up early.” The voice behind him was bright and Jarod watched as Jennifer came over to him and sat down on the step below him.
“I couldn’t sleep.”
“Bad dream?”
“Not exactly. It just woke me up.” Jennifer leant back against his legs and smiled up at him. “Do you have to leave yet, or were you planning to stay for a while?”
“Well, if nothing interrupts us, I thought I’d give myself a vacation.” He put one hand on Jennifer’s shoulder but she ignored it and twisted around to look at him.
“Do you know how frustrated the Centre is getting? I mean, you’ve even stopped calling Sydney so often.”
“I have someone better to talk to.” Jennifer smiled fleetingly, however, when she didn’t continue, Jarod became concerned.
“Look Jen, what’s the problem? There’s been something wrong ever since I got home. Can’t you tell me?”
For an answer, Jennifer went back into the house and reappeared several seconds later with a gun holster in her hand.
“See this? Raines came into my office yesterday with it and told me that I should carry it, just in case I ran into you.”
“But you told me that you were…?”
“A sharp-shooter? Yes. I don’t mind a gun if I’m standing in front of a target. I even enjoy pumping a piece of paper full of holes. But somehow I have a small problem doing the same thing to another human being. Especially you.”
“So don’t take it.”
“And what excuse would I give to Raines?”
“Hmm. Good point.” There were several minutes of silence and then Jarod looked down at Jennifer.
“Okay, what have you done? I know that expression. And don’t try to look innocent.”
“Oh, okay.” Jennifer grinned and opened the gun, dropping the bullets into Jarod’s outstretched hand. “The first four are blanks. Only the last two are real bullets.”
“Nice one. But why the real bullets?”
“If I aim at something, I want there to be bullet holes in the thing which I hit. Even if it’s not the main target.”
***
Sydney looked across the table at where Michelle sat. The earlier part of the evening had been somewhat difficult, with the two of them unsure what to say to each other. However a few reminisces about their years together at the Centre and the conversation had flowed. Now as the evening was drawing to a close, Sydney was desperately trying to think of a way to prolong it.
“Can I see you again?” Michelle smiled.
“You said the same thing to me the first time we started dating, remember? But, yes, I would like that too.”
“Does Nicholas mind?”
“What, that his mother and father are seeing each other? No, I don’t think so.” There was several seconds of silence.
“Is the Centre going to interfere in this again?” Sydney reached over and took Michelle’s hand.
“I don’t know. But, now that I have you back, I’m not going to let you go again.”
***
Jarod came into the room and looked at the figure of Jennifer on the bed. He hadn’t wanted to leave but the situation had desperately required his attention and he hadn't felt that he could ignore it. She had been understanding, as she always was, but there were times that he wished he could have a regular job and a normal family. After changing, he slipped into bed and wrapped his arms around Jennifer. He felt her sigh and she relaxed slightly more into his arms, but without waking up. He gently kissed the top of her head and then the back of her neck. Slowly he began to stroke her hair but the exhaustion which he had begun to feel on the long drive back to the farm was setting in again and, as it caught up with him, he gave in and relaxed.
***
Sydney walked through the doors of his office as his computer beeped to alert him of a message. His heart leapt at the thought that it might be from Jarod but the screen showed him that it was a simple office memo and, as he hurried towards Jennifer’s office in response to it, he wondered what it was about.
***
Jennifer, at his entrance, picked up a pile of papers from her desk and slammed them down in front of Sydney, one hand preventing them from landing on the floor.
"What is all this?"
"That's what I should be asking you. Raines sent me down to the archives to locate a particular find and, in the process, I found those." Sydney glanced through the pages and the colour drained from his face.
"Jennifer - I can explain..."
"I hope so. If other people got hold of those - "
"Jarod couldn't...could he?" Jennifer turned the screen of her computer around to face him and he saw the replicas of the files that he held in his hand. "I've tried to delete them. I can't. They've been downloaded in such a way that I would need level eight access and I only have level seven. Therefore I would say that it's only a matter of time. In fact, I'm surprised that he hasn't discovered them himself. And I don't know why I shouldn't tell him about them myself. He trusted you, Sydney, and you betrayed him."
Sydney sat and stared at the pages for several seconds while Jennifer turned the screen black and closed the files on which she had been working. Then, folding her hands, she leant back in her chair and waited for him to continue.
***
Miss Parker turned over the gun in her hand and stared at the metal gleaming under her hands. She had waited until Robert was asleep before removing the gun from the position in the linen closet where she kept it. By having it there she knew that he wouldn't be able to find it during one of his regular whirlwind dashes through the house. Despite not having learnt to walk yet, he could still get up a high level of speed and she only had to take her eyes off him for a second to be on the other side of the room. A knock caused her to slip the gun into the hall table before she opened the door.
"Daddy?"
"Angel, I need to talk to you."
"Of course."
***
"This is Sydney."
"How could you, Sydney? How could you do that to me?"
"Jarod - I..."
"Well?"
"You have to understand - "
"I don't have to understand anything except that you signed a hand-over of the results for every single simulation that I ever performed. All this time, when you were saying that you had no idea of their eventual uses, you knew where they were going. You knew exactly how each one would be used. That they would be used to kill people! It wouldn't have taken a genius to work out their eventual possible results."
"Jarod, listen to me - "
"Why should I?"
"I want you to know the whole reason before you condemn me."
"You're a little late for that. I've done it already."
"Please, Jarod."
Jennifer slipped her hand into Jarod's and gave it a gentle squeeze as they sat opposite each other across the table.
"Okay."
"Jarod, when the results of every simulation were complete, I had to write them up. Then I had to sign a document stating that they could be legally given, or sold, to their intended client. At the time, those forms were blank. I had no way of knowing who the results were designed for, any more than you did. But if I, as your guardian, hadn't completed the paper work, none of the deals would have been legal."
"That's a joke, Sydney. Unless, of course, kidnapping, torture and murder have been legal for the last forty years. How can you honestly believe that it would be 'legal' unless you signed it? It's a farce, like everything else done by the Centre. The only reason they had you fill these out was to pass the buck, to shove the blame away from the Triumvirate."
Jarod's voice began to lose its harsh and accusing tone.
"They used you, like the used me. Can't you see that?"
Pressing a button, he disconnected the call and stared blankly out of the window above Jennifer's head. She put her other hand on his and waited until he looked at her.
"Jarod, I think he's right. He would have had no way of knowing for whom those details were designed. I know it's hard to believe, but I did a test on the paper and the details were applied some time after the signature had been written. Of course, the exact times are impossible to judge but, on several of the forms, typing was put on after the signature had been written. I tested it myself."
Jarod shook his head and the tear, which had escaped from his eye, began to zigzag down his cheek.
"I trusted him, Jen. I trusted him and he betrayed me."
"No, Jarod." She came around and began to gently massage the back of his neck. "It wasn't Sydney that betrayed you. It was the Centre. Sydney played his role but the one at whom you should be directing your anger is the Centre and only the Centre."
Jarod let his head roll forward as Jennifer continued to unravel the stress which had built up in his neck.
"Jarod, when I talked to him about this...well, I've never seen anyone that upset before. And you know as well as I do that he doesn't often show his emotions. The thought that you might find out, and hold him solely responsible, is going to cause him nightmares for a long time. And the call isn't going to help."
Jarod, looking up, ran a hand though his hair and stared blankly out of the window.
"But he..." He paused. "How am I supposed to live with this?"
"In the same way that you've learned to live with everything else. Sydney, don't forget, has had to live with the same guilt that you have."
Jarod slammed two fists on the table and pushed back his chair. Jennifer hid the pain as its back slammed into her waist and she moved back to rest against the windowsill as Jarod began to furiously pace the room.
"How can you honestly believe that? Do you really believe that he was so innocent and naive for so many years?"
Jennifer watched as he continued to angrily pace, her hands clenched in tight fists as the throbbing in her stomach began to gradually increase. He hadn't yet had the chance to learn that she was pregnant again and, in her concern for herself, she stopped listening as Jarod continued to stride the length of the room. Finally, as she knew he would, he stopped and glared out of the window. Fighting the pain and nausea that the knock had caused, she moved over and stood behind him, slipping both arms around his waist.
"Jarod, Sydney was the person who taught you everything that you believe about ethics and moral standards. He's not capable of pushing aside his own feelings to teach you something that he didn't believe himself. You know him better than I do. But I know that I'm right when I say that. He wouldn't have done that. He couldn't - not to himself or to you."
She felt the warm tear splash down onto her hand and she was about to pull away when he grabbed her arms and moved her around to face him. Before she could react he lowered his head and kissed her. Then, taking her face in both hands, he looked her in the eyes.
"What would I do without you?"
She tried to smile but the pain was too great. Jarod saw the change in her expression at the same moment as he saw the small flecks on blood on the edges of her nails. He forced open one palm and saw where the nails has pierced the skin as she clenched her fists. With a rapid movement he scooped her up and carried her into the bedroom. Moment later, after a quick examination, he carried her out to the car and, after rapidly putting Kyle into his baby capsule, drove off.
***
Miss Parker hadn't moved since her father had left. She had remained in the same seat while he had let himself out of the house, unable to believe what he had said. He was backing out of their deal, thus ensuring that she would never leave the Centre. She had, as always, relied on her loyalty but now she could see the threats which, although implied, were obvious. And there wasn't a damn thing she could do about it. She knew that he didn't care what she thought of him and wasn't interested in her opinions. Looking back, she could see he never had been. Suddenly she felt lonely.
***
Jarod's footsteps filled his ears but his mind was full of thoughts and regrets over what had happened. Then his thoughts were distracted as a hand came to rest on his shoulder and he turned in shock to find Sydney standing beside him.
"How is she?" Jarod stared blankly for several seconds before a tear slipped down his cheek.
"Sydney, I'm sorry."
"I know, Jarod."
"I really am. I was angry...hurt...I needed someone to blame." Suddenly and fiercely Jarod hugged Sydney, unable to help himself. Over his shoulder, Jarod saw Michelle kneeling beside the baby capsule in which Kyle lay and, amid the tears, he couldn't help smiling.
***
Lyle stared around the walls and tried to think of a way to escape. The scars had healed and were no longer painful but he wasn't willing to stop taking the medication. Living was still slightly preferable to death. His predicament, however, left him a lot of time to think. He had tried to get out but the plastic bubble had only one exit and that wasn't accessible to him. Raines had, obligingly, shown him a DSA which contained the design and creation of the thing and it was almost unbearable for him to learn that Jarod had been responsible for its inception. His speech was beginning to deteriorate due to the fact that he had no-one to talk to. Sometimes he was certain that he was being watched but the reflective glass from the window, high above his head, prevented him from seeing through it. He had never thought to look at the air vent...
***
When the doctor walked into the hallway, Jarod was already on his feet and waiting for news. The doctor didn't need anyone to tell him that the young man had been pacing the hallway since the operation had begun.
"Well?"
"Well, she's going to be fine. We stopped the bleeding and we managed to save the baby."
"The...baby?"
"She didn't tell you?"
"Uh...no."
"Well, congratulations. She's three months pregnant. I'm going back to help them settle her into the room and then you can go in and see her."
As the doctor left, Jarod sat numbly in a chair. Sydney came over and sat next to him.
"So the two of you are..." Jarod didn't answer but Sydney's mind had been working quickly He was about to speak which Michelle jumped in.
"Oh please, Syd." She held up Kyle. "You only have to look at him to know who his parents are."
Sydney began to laugh and Jarod turned stunned eyes to him.
"You knew?"
"I've had some suspicions."
"Since when?"
"After Jennifer was shot, I went to visit her in Blue Cove hospital. Her medical file was lying open and I thought that I recognised the handwriting. But, because it was only numbers, it was hard to be sure. Now, of course, I can see that I was right. It was you."
"So now what are you going to do?" Jarod's voice was cautious. "No matter what, nothing will change the fact that you work for them."
"Oh, it changes a lot. I can see that I've been wrong, Jarod." Sydney stared at his hands. "I used to think that it would be better for you in the Centre. That you would be safer there. That if governments found out about you, they would do anything to use you for themselves. I tried to convince myself that you could be happy back at the Centre. And that I could be too."
Jarod finally looked at Sydney.
"You admit that you were wrong?"
"Now you have a family, someone to depend on. It's what you've always wanted and I always hoped that I could give that to you."
"But you have your own family."
"Thanks to you. I wanted to return the favour."
"You provided me with that family. You were like a father to me. Please tell me that all those years didn't just mean nothing to you."
"No," admitted Sydney softly. "They didn't."
"Jarod," the nurse hesitatingly interrupted the conversation. "She's asking for you."
***
Jennifer moved slightly, ignoring the sight pain it caused. Her greatest relief was knowing that the unborn baby would be okay and, if she rested, should be as healthy as Kyle was. It would be a surprise to Jarod, she knew, that she was pregnant again. She had just got to the stage of wondering what his reaction would be when the door opened and he was standing there.
"I'm sorry."
"Jarod, it wasn't your fault. If..."
"It was! If I hadn't been so angry..." She held out one hand and he moved across and took it as he sat in a chair beside the bed.
"Jarod, I should have got out of the way faster, that's all. And it wasn't even as though you knew."
"How long have you known?"
"About two weeks. I was going to tell you..."
"Why didn't you?"
"Because, if you'll remember, you've only been home two days, and you slept for the whole of one. Besides, I thought it was more important that you knew about the forms first. I wanted you to get over your anger with them before I told you about this." He looked down at her in amazement.
"You knew what I'd do?"
"I guessed. Once a person knows you, you can be a little predictable, as long as you're not pretending to be someone else."
"Are you really going to be okay?" Jennifer raised an arm and gently touched his face with the tips of her fingers.
"I'm going to be fine, Jarod. And so is the baby." She paused. "Have you talked to Sydney?"
Jarod sat back in his chair and stared at her.
"How on earth did you know...?"
"I told the doctor to call him. I knew that he was staying around here for a while, visiting Michelle. Did you talk to him? Did you tell him?"
"Yes."
"And?" Jarod's eyes filled with tears for the second time within the space of half an hour and he was unable to speak but Jennifer was satisfied. To save him further pain, she changed the subject.
"Where's Kyle?"
"Outside, with Michelle."
"She came too? Oh, good." Jarod looked at Jennifer suspiciously.
"Are you trying to match-make?"
"I hardly need to. They've been in love for years. I just thought that Sydney should have a chance at a life too, now that you've got one."
"And you think it will succeed?"
"How far do you think it can go?" Jarod's tones betrayed his curiosity.
"Well, marriage would be nice."
"It would give Nicholas a father again." Jarod stroked Jennifer's hair with his hand. "Are you always thinking about other people?"
"That depends on who the other people are."
***
Miss Parker picked up her brother from his baby seat and carried him into the house. Ben followed with some of her bags. It had taken a lot of courage for her to pack her car and drive out of Blue Cove and she had disengaged the car's tracking system so that she could have a few days, at least, before they caught up with her.
"You can have your mother's room, if you like."
"Thank-you. I'd like that." Somehow, in this place, it was easy to drop the aggressive facade that was so well-known among Centre operatives. When he had left, she put the baby on the bed and made up the small cot which Ben had earlier placed in the room. As she placed her small brother onto the blankets and watched as he stared solemnly up at her, she realised how powerfully protective she was towards him. The idea of letting her father or Raines near the child, which was not even her own, made her angrier than she had been for many months. She wondered if this was how her mother had felt, not only about her but about all of the children within the Centre.
***
Sydney walked into the room and sat beside the bed. After only a few hours, Jennifer's fitness was ensuring that she was recovering from the incident as quickly as possible. He and Jarod had discussed the incident and he had done his best to dispel the young man's guilt but he had a sense that Michelle would be more effective and so, while he visited Jennifer, he knew that the woman he was now determined to finally marry would talk to the young man he could now admit that he had always loved as much as if he had been his own son.
"Well, you kept this a well hidden secret."
"It's a shame that I won't get to see Raines' face if or when he ever works it out."
"He'll be furious."
"That was the idea." Sydney laughed.
"And you've kept this a secret from Miss Parker, too. I think that's an even greater achievement."
"I kept promising to show her photos of Kyle or the boy himself, but somehow I never got around to it."
"Well, she certainly would have guessed then. He's the absolute mirror image of his father."
"Then or now?"
"Well, both. I can see some of Jarod as a boy and there's certainly looks which are identical to the man."
"I haven't watched too many DSAs of Jarod as a boy but there are certainly resemblances to the clone."
Sydney became a little uncomfortable. Then his mind put together the pieces which he had been trying to understand since the disappearance.
"You helped them to escape, didn't you?" Jennifer tried to smile.
"Well, I might have helped a bit."
"Have you told Jarod?"
"No."
"Why not?" The smile disappeared.
"I was supposed to meet up with them two days after they escaped and bring them to a meeting with Jarod. That would give them time to collect Margaret and Emily and I would have a chance to finish my work without Raines getting suspicious. But of course, thanks to Lyle and Brigitte, I never got the chance to go to that meeting. I have no idea where they are now and I couldn't disappoint Jarod. He's had so many disappointments that I couldn't bring myself to be responsible for another one." Sydney nodded.
"I understand. And he would be disappointed. I'm sure one day, though, he'll find them." Jennifer smiled.
"With that much determination, he'll have to get results one day. And I know he will. At least, he's not going to stop until he does."
"Does what?" Jarod's voice interrupted the conversation.
"Funny," Jennifer, grinned. "I didn't hear you knock."
"Neither did I. But I thought I'd left you two alone long enough." Jennifer could hear in his voice that the guilt he'd been carrying was gone. This was the cheerful, bright Jarod that she had originally fallen in love with and the smile he gave her showed that, as usual, he had a pretty good idea of what she was thinking.
Sydney stood up.
"I'm, uh, going to find Michelle." He left the room quickly, but not before he heard the final comments.
"Is he going to ask her?"
"I hope so. If not, I'm going to do it for him!"
As Jarod sat beside Jennifer's bed, he looked at a folder which had been lying on the small table in the corner since he had come in. He had originally thought that it was a medical folder but several nurses had entered and left the room without touching it. He glanced at the bed and saw that Jennifer was still asleep so he stood and walked over to the table. Seeing a name on the folder that he recognised, he scooped it up and returned to his seat. Slowly his eyes absorbed all of the information it contained and, after completing it, he looked up to see Jennifer watching him.
"Is this for me?"
"It was suggested that I find an appropriate moment to give it to you."
"By whom?"
"The person who gave it to me." Jarod thought for a moment.
"Angelo?"
"One day, in my office, he showed it to me. That's a photocopy, not the original. He's keeping them, perhaps for the day when the Centre no longer exists, and then I imagine he'll try and give them back to the people concerned."
Jarod looked at her.
"Is there one for me?"
"Angelo wouldn't give it to me and I only saw it briefly. I had no chance to read anything on it."
"And one day...?"
"One day, Jarod. One day."