Part 4
The office was in shambles; the two of them had torn it apart, looking for any
clue that would tell them what had happened to Sydney, but they had found
nothing. Broots looked at his watch, the morning shift would be coming on any
moment now.
He watched as Parker paced back and forth in front of Sydney’s desk. He wished
that there was something he could do to calm her, but he knew if he tried, she
would resent him for it. Miss Parker had never been one to accept comfort from
anyone except her father, and occasionally she tolerated it from Sydney; but it
extended no further.
“Miss Parker, why don’t you sit down for awhile?”
“That won’t help, Broots. There has to be something here; we must have missed
it.” Her voice was sounding slightly desperate, “There has to be something.”
A whimpering noise shot out at them from the air duct. The two of them turned
sharply toward the sound, then to each other. Parker ran to the grate and
looked inside; Angelo was rolled up in a ball, crying.
“Broots...help me get this grate off.”
Broots and Parker pried the grate off the wall, and they tried to coax Angelo
out, but it was as if he couldn’t hear them. Her frustration mounting, Parker
grabbed Angelo by the shirt collar, yanking him from the air duct. He screamed
and curled into a ball on the floor of Sydney’s office. She started to grab him
again, but Broots held her back.
“Miss Parker.....don’t. That won’t help.”
She glared at him, and Broots flinched away from her. She let out an uneven
sigh of air, and in the low light he saw the shine in her eyes; they were
filled with barely contained tears. Broots took her hand in his.
“I’m scared for him too, Miss Parker.”
“I know.”
Angelo began wailing at the top of his lungs, and they knelt down next to him.
“Angelo,” Broots soothed, “take it easy. Tell us what happened.”
Parker leaned into the sobbing man, “Angelo.....Sydney. Tell us what
happened to Sydney.”
Tears of agony were streaming down Angelo’s face, “It’s so cold.... and pain,
so much pain.”
Miss Parker swallowed hard. She had been right. Something dire had transpired,
and Sydney was right in the middle of it.
She tried to keep her voice calm and even, “Angelo, we want to help Sydney. Can
you tell us where he is?”
“Cold. So cold. Hard. Concrete. Wet water. Dripping. Darkness. Pain.”
Parker turned to Broots, “This isn’t helping....maybe if we put him in Syd’s
chair.”
Broots and Parker lifted the empath up and carefully put him in the desk chair.
Angelo slammed his fists on the desktop, causing both Parker and Broots to
jump.
“No.....Sydney will not give in. Must protect the daughter.”
Parker looked at Angelo in confusion, “Daughter? Sydney doesn’t have a
daughter, Angelo.”
“The daughter.....He must protect you.”
Parker sighed and turned to Broots, “This is one flew over the rubber room.
He’s not making any sense.”
Angelo moved out of the chair, and knelt on the floor by the desk. He reached
under it, and pulled out the DSA that Sydney had taped there the night before.
He handed it to Miss Parker.
“Sydney protects the daughter.”
Parker snatched the DSA from Angelo’s hands and practically threw it at Broots,
who quickly played it on Sydney’s computer.
The Centre June 14, 1967
“I’m not threatening you. I’m asking you to desist with your silly notions
regarding our test subjects here at the Centre,” Raines smiled.
Catherine Parker’s voice held solid determination, “I don’t think so.”
Catherine turned on her heel and started out of the office, but Raines grabbed
her arm, hard.
“Let go of me.”
Raines pulled her closer to his face, “Before you go, I want you to have the
complete picture of what could happen. I need you on board with me for this.”
“Impossible.”
“That’s too bad. I will have to tell Mr. Parker the truth then.”
“What truth?”
“Why, Miss Parker, of course.”
Catherine stared at him, horrified.
“I thought that might get your attention, Catherine.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Catherine moved away from him, but he closed the distance again, coming to
stand right behind her shoulder.
“Mr. Parker isn’t her biological father.”
Catherine turned around, glaring into his eyes, “You stay away from my husband,
and my daughter.”
Raines smiled broadly, holding up a file folder, “Ah, ah, ah, Catherine. I have
proof. I not only know that Mr. Parker isn’t her father...I know who is.”
Raines paused for effect, “Now, unless you want this file to wind up in both of
their hands, I suggest you cooperate with me.”
The Centre, present
Miss Parker stood frozen in place. Tears flowed down her cheeks. She
couldn’t move. She couldn’t breathe. Yet another secret to her past that Sydney
had kept to himself; and how long had he known? Broots was unsure what to do,
so he waited. After a few long minutes, Parker pulled her gun out, cocking it.
“I’m going to kill him, Broots.” Parker’s voice was shaking with emotion, “If
he’s not dead already, when we find him, I’m going to splatter his Flemish
brains all over the wall.”
“Miss Parker.....we don’t know all the--”
She pointed the gun into his face, “--Just keep talking Broots, and I’ll take
you out first.”
Broots closed his eyes in fear, but in his heart, he knew he had to keep going,
“No, Miss Parker, I’m not going to keep quiet. I don’t care if you do
kill me.” He opened one eye and realized he was still alive, so he kept
talking, “Everything Sydney has done, has always proved out in one way or
another, as having been either to protect you, or Jarod. And in some cases, he
was protecting the memory of your mother.” He swallowed hard, and for a moment,
watched the tears fall down her face. “Miss Parker, whatever the reasons Sydney
had for keeping this from you, he must have thought he was shielding you
somehow.”
Parker blinked the tears from her eyes, moved away from Broots and slammed her
gun down on the desk.
Her voice shook with an emotion that emanated from deep within her, “I don’t
need his protection. I don’t want his protection. I’m sick of the
secrets, I am sick of the lies. I just want the truth......”
Miss Parker leaned on the desk, her head falling to her chest. She tried to
hold back the sobs, but she couldn’t. Broots took a move toward her, but then
stopped himself, knowing she wouldn’t accept any comfort from him anyway. It
was Angelo who finally stood up and went to Parker, taking her hand in his. She
looked into his face, and he smiled gently at her.
“Sydney guards you......loves you. Mr. Parker guards you.... loves you.
Two....not one.”
“Two, not one? Angelo.....”
“Two......”
Miss Parker touched the pearl necklace she was wearing, “Oh my god....my
mother....”
“Miss Parker?” Broots stood next to her, confusion in his eyes.
“When she wrote that my father gave these to her, I assumed she meant......”
“Mr. Parker....”
“Yes. And that’s why Sydney reacted yesterday when I said the pearls had been a
gift from my father to my mother; Broots, he didn’t know. Or at least he wasn’t
sure until that moment.”
“You’ve lost me, Miss Parker....”
“Broots, you stupid moron, Sydney gave the pearls to my mother.”
“But that would make Sydney...”
“...my biological father, yes.” Parker wiped the tears from her eyes, “It
explains why Raines took him out of play. He must have known that Sydney was
close to finding out the truth, and Nosferatu wanted to keep a lid on it.”
“But Miss Parker, that kind of order could only come from--”
“My father--...Mr. Parker, yes.”
Broots’ heart was pounding in his chest, “Miss Parker, what do we do? I mean,
if they find out we know, we’re dead.”
“I guess we’ll just have to keep it to ourselves then, Broots.” Parker turned
to Angelo, “We’re going to need your help, Angelo. I doubt Dr. Death killed
Sydney outright; it would be more his style to try and make it look like some
kind of accident. Which means that Syd has to be somewhere.”
Angelo looked at her, frowning, “Cold. Dark. Water. Sydney, frightened.”
Parker closed her eyes.
Broots gently touched her elbow, “Miss Parker, you okay?”
After a steadying breath, she refocused on Broots, “Yeah. Let’s go find him.”
********************
He came to, lying on his back. He could taste the foul bile in his mouth, and
knew that he was lucky he hadn’t choked on his own vomit in his
unconsciousness. With all the effort he had left, he rolled onto his side. His
reward was a coughing spasm the likes of which he thought would end him. He
could taste the blood in his mouth. Whatever he had been injected with, it was
going to kill him, and in a fairly short amount of time. He closed his eyes and
thought of Miss Parker and Jarod: He would never be able to tell them how sorry
he was. How sorry he was, for everything. The last thing he felt as darkness
claimed him, was sadness; they would never know the depth of love he held for
them in his heart.
********************
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“Miss Parker.”
She didn’t even try to hold back the sound of relief in her voice, “Jarod,
thank god.”
Jarod knew that he was right, “What’s happened to Sydney?”
Miss Parker choked back tears, “I don’t know. I was hoping maybe you--”
“--I haven’t heard from him. What can I do?”
“Nothing yet, Jarod. As soon as I know something, I’ll send you an email
through Refuge.”
“Miss Parker.....don’t let anything happen to him. Please.”
*********************
Mr. Parker was pacing the length of his office, when Miss Parker burst in on
him, “You’re back. Why wasn’t I informed?”
He looked at her with surprised, “No ‘hello daddy’? No hug? No kiss?”
She frowned slightly but walked over to him and greeted him. He could feel her
hesitation, and her stiffness around him.
“Angel? What’s the matter?”
“Nothing.”
His eyes narrowed as he looked her over, “I know my daughter better than that.
You can tell me. What is it?”
“I told you.....daddy, nothing. Look, I’m worried about Sydney.”
“Sydney? Why?”
“He disappeared with no word. Raines says Syd went on vacation, but I don’t
ever remember him taking one in all the years he’s worked here.”
“Angel.....I’m sure if Mr. Raines says that Sydney is on vacation, then, that’s
where he is.”
Miss Parker looked at him sharply; he was in on it. Whatever had happened to
Sydney, he knew about it. She smiled at him sweetly.
“Well, if you say so, then I’ll accept it.”
He kissed her forehead, “That’s my girl.” He walked over to his desk, “I hear
we have another lead on Jarod.”
“We do?”
“Yes, it just came in. There is reason to believe that he’s in Fargo.”
Miss Parker was barely able to cover her agitation; he was trying to get her
out of the way. There could only be one reason for it; Sydney was still at the
Centre. Somewhere.
Once again she smiled sweetly, “Fine. Broots and I can leave tomorrow.”
“No. You’ll leave today. In half an hour as a matter of fact.”
“Very well.”
Miss Parker smiled at him and sauntered out of his office; once clear she
bolted for the stairs.
********************
Parker entered Broots’ area at a dead run, “Come on Broots, we’ve got trouble.”
“What do you mean, trouble?”
“I mean they’re trying to get us out of here.”
“What?”
“Sydney must be here at the Centre, you dolt, and they need to move him.”
Angelo appeared behind them, startling both of them.
“What is it, monkey-boy?”
“SL-27.”
Parker’s irritation crept into her voice, “What about it?”
“Cold. Dark. Water.”
“Cold, dark...Sydney? Is Sydney on SL-27, Angelo?”
Angelo smiled at Parker. As she ran past him, she touched his face with her
hand, “Thank you.”
“Come on Broots, grab some flashlights...”
*****************
SL-27 always creeped Broots out. He and Parker quickly made their way through
the opening rooms of the level, and were shining their lights into every
corner.
Broots called for him, “Sydney?.....Syd?”
“Come on Freud....where the hell are you.....”
Parker could hear the dripping of a leaky pipe. It was making her nuts. She
shined her light into yet another corner of the floor; nothing. She sighed.
Maybe monkey-boy had it all wrong.
Broots yelled in panic, “Miss Parker!”
Parker ran toward his voice as quickly as she could navigate the darkness. As
she shined her light into the corner where Broots was standing, her heart
dropped and she felt sick. There was a heap on the floor, in tattered clothes,
surrounded by blood, vomit, and lying in muddy water. She didn’t have to look
closely to know who it was. Please god, let him be alive.
She closed the remaining yards at a dead run, and slid on her knees in the
last five feet. Broots was already kneeling next to Sydney, checking for a
pulse. It was weak, but it was there. Parker lifted his upper body into her
lap. He felt like ice, and he was completely wet.
“Broots, go for help.”
“Who....do I go to? Who can we trust?”
“Sam. Get Sam and his crew down here, tell them I’ve been in an accident, and
keep it quiet.”
“Okay.”
None to sure of it, Broots took off as quickly as he could. Sydney moaned, and
Parker pulled him further into her arms, cradling him.
“Easy Syd. I’m here, I’ve got you.”
She felt his forehead, and it was on fire. He groaned in pain, but his eyes
fluttered open, and fought to focus on her.
His voice sounded like gravel, “Miss Parker...”
“Shhh, don’t try to talk. You’re going to be okay.”
“I’m sorry.”
“You should have come to me, Sydney.”
“No, you don’t understand.”
“Yes, I’ve seen the DSA....and I know that you gave the pearls to my mother.”
“Oh god....”
“What I don’t understand is why my father--I mean, why--”
Sydney grabbed her hand, his voice barely a whisper, “You must always think of
him as your father. He raised you. He does love you. And I’m not sure that he
knows the entire truth.”
“How...I don’t understand.”
“Your mother broke it off with Mr. Parker, and a few weeks later, your mother
and I, we......”
“Yeah, I think I have that part, Sydney.”
“Right after her twenty-fifth birthday, she came to me and told me that she had
to marry Mr. Parker. I always assumed it was because she discovered that she
was pregnant with his child. We never spoke of it again.”
“And?”
He swallowed hard, his mouth so dry he could barely speak, “The truth was that
Mr. Parker went to Catherine and told her that if she did not end it with me
and marry him, that he would kill me. Knowing that he could protect you from
the Centre, she never told him that the child she was carrying wasn’t his, nor
did she tell me that I had a beautiful daughter. I didn’t know I was your
father until--”
“--Until I told you what she wrote about the pearls.”
“Yes.”
Sydney’s eyes filled with tears, “I’m so sorry, my little one.”
Parker lightly kissed his forehead, “I know you.....love me, Syd. I’ve always
known.”
Exhausted, his eyes closed and he leaned into the comfort of her arms.
*******************
St. Joseph Hospital, Delaware
His eyes fluttered open, and he was staring into the worried faces of Miss
Parker and Broots. He swallowed and his throat hurt; he realized that he must
have been hooked up to a respirator. He tried to make sound, but couldn’t.
“Shhh, Syd, don’t try to talk. Just relax.”
He tried again, “Water.”
Parker reached for the glass by the hospital bed, and gently lifting his head,
poured some water into his mouth.
“Better?”
He nodded.
Broots smiled at him, “I’m glad you’re gonna be okay, Sydney. You sure gave us
one hell of a scare.”
Sydney looked into Miss Parker’s eyes, and grabbed her hand. Parker looked
slightly confused by the demonstrative gesture.
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Sydney’s voice sounded apprehensive, “I’m.....confused. What accident?”
Parker ran a soothing hand over his brow, “Syd, don’t you remember? There was
an accident in the Sim Lab, a biochem got loose, and you’ve been in the
hospital for over a week.”
“I....don’t remember that.”
“What do you remember?”
Sydney felt tears beginning to sting his eyes; none of it was real. It had all
been the fabrication of a fevered mind; the DSA, the pearls, Miss Parker......
The last, was the one which hurt the most. He couldn’t keep the tears from
falling, so he closed his eyes and felt them roll down his cheeks. He didn’t see
the sorrow that flickered in Parker’s eyes as she watched him tormenting
himself with something that she did not understand.
He felt her hand caress his, and he looked at her once again.
She sat down on the bed, “Syd, what’s wrong? Where does it hurt?”
He took her hand in his, and brought it to his chest, “In here.”
Parker frowned, “Your chest hurts?”
Sydney shook his head, “No, my heart.”
“Syd, you’re not making any sense to me.”
He gripped her hand harder, and despite her normal aversion to strong displays
of affection, she returned the pressure of it.
His voice was almost a whisper, “Just stay here with me.”
Miss Parker did not understand, but it was a simple enough request from the man
who had been there for her, for as long as she could remember.
“I’m right here, Syd. You just rest.”
He closed his eyes again, and let the moisture fall. He clutched the hand
holding his, and a moment later, he felt the soft strokes on his face, trying
to brush away his sadness. He knew she would never understand what he was going
through, nor would he ever explain it. In his mind, he had lost his daughter,
and his heart was breaking.
Miss Parker continued to hold his hand in hers long after he fell into a
troubled sleep. She didn’t know what torturous tricks his fevered mind had
played on him; but she knew that it had distressed him greatly. She wanted him
to find some measure of peace. She reached up with her free hand, and absently
fingered the strand of pearls around her neck.
Fin
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