Shaddyr's Eclectic Collection > Pretender Fanfiction > Trading Places
Trading Places
Part 2 - by Ce’Nedra
Disclaimer: "The Pretender" and all that goes with it do not belong to me but to NBC. So don’t go calling a lawyer to sue me ‘cause I got no money. I use the characters for plain and simple entertainment.
A/N: When I wrote Trading Places, it was written as a one off piece, but the story has been on my mind for a while so I took a shot at continuing.
Mariska found herself in a dark room with a solitary bright light shining on her from above. No matter how hard she tried she couldn’t see beyond the illuminated circle around her. She was standing with her arms tied above her, the muscles burning but that was the least of her worries. All her weight rested on her right leg as the left had been hit by a sweeper’s bullet. The last thing she remembered was seeing Jarod punch the burly sweeper unconscious, yelling "How the hell could you shoot her!" Parker was concerned on my part she mused thoughtfully. The light was blinding her to her interrogators. They only wanted to know one thing - the location of the DSA's.
"Where are the DSA's Mariska?" the voice asked again.She smiled. "You know I'm not gonna tell you."
She took a deep breath, knowing that someone was going to land a punch somewhere on her body.
"The DSA's Mariska!" the voice was more insistent but the pretender never answered.
The blow came to her kidney area this time making her arch her back and pull on her restraints. Her arms felt like they were going to come off her body. She screamed in pain.
"This can all stop right now if you cooperate". It was a different voice this time.Her breath labored. "I'll never cooperate."
A fist landed squarely on her jaw drawing blood inside her mouth. She spat the blood out.
"Oh come on you can do better that this!" She shouted
The room was quite again. The footsteps of the person using her body as a punching bag also stopped, but the stillness was broken with the hiss of the electronic doors opening. Mariska instantly recognized the silhouette in the doorway. Parker's form was burned into her mind. He walked in.
"You can all leave now," he informed them with the usual coolness he showed the sweepers."Sir, we have orders," said one of the sweepers.
"I don't about your orders, or who the hell gave them to you. Get out if you know what’s good for you."
Jarod gave the sweeper a look that would kill a lesser man on the spot. The sweeper nodded realizing it was Parker who was threatening him.
Mariska watched 5 sweepers leave the room and the door closed again, making Jarod disappear in the darkness.
"So tell me labrat. Do you get some kind of kick by being beaten up?"
His voice had a hit of humor in it and Mariska managed a smile.
“Unlike you Parker I am not a masochist."
He smiled. She always knew what to say, he gave her that much. As he moved toward her and saw her face up close, he noticed the area under her right eyes was blueish-black, her lip was bruised and her mouth was bleeding.She watched him closely, and was surprised by the concern that surfaced for a moment in those brown eyes.
"Why don't you tell them where it is.""That would be cooperating with this place and that is something I grew out of. You know that Jarod"
She saw him flinch when she said his name.
"Cooperate with me then."
She watched him. Something was wrong, he was being too nice. She shook her head.
"Sorry Parker you are part and parcel of this place."
He nodded, flashing her one of those grins and walked to her left side. He leaned close to her ear.
"Have it your way."
With those words he pressed his fingers into her gunshot wound on her thigh.
She screamed in agony. "Noooooooooo!!!!!"
********************
Mariska woke with a fright. She tried to sit up but her arms where restrained above her head. She grimaced at the dull ache in her shoulders and her knee. She remembered Sam hitting her there with the butt of his shotgun when she busted his cheek with her nails.
The rattle of the cuffs on the bars made Parker look up from the book he was reading.
"Ah our prodigy awakes." he said putting the book down.
She dropped her head back on the pillows with a grunt.
"You know... cuffs look good on you. You should make it a permanent accessory.""Don't you have anything better to do with your life than chase me?"
"Don't flatter yourself Mariska. You are but a minor inconvenience,"
She laughed. "If I am so minor why did it take u the better part of 4 years to find me?"
He grinned. "Like I said, 'The clever ones always make mistakes' "
"No Jarod, you're just to slow to figure out anything."
He got up from the chair.
"You know, I forgot to gag you""No, don't."
He heard the slight desperation in her voice but still got the duct tape from one of the draws. He sat down next to her.
"Parker please, don't! I'll shut up, I swear."He smiled "Close your mouth now"
"Jarod! Nooooo!!!"
But her plea was cut off as Parker placed the tape over her mouth.
****************
Parker woke to the sound of her alarm beeping on the pedestal. She reached over to switch it off then her hand immediately shot to her mouth feeling for something. She closed her eyes and exhaled.
These dammed dreams have to stop her mind screamed.
***************
Later
She walked into the lab to find Broots and Sydney there already. Damn she hated being late.
"Good morning Miss Parker," Sydney greeted her pleasantly."Syd" was all she said.
Parker looked to Broots, who was at the filling cabinet, and slid her sunglasses down her nose.
"Debbie do your laundry again Broots?"
The techie turned to see her giving him the you-look-like-a-moron stare over the rim of her Raybans. He glanced down at his bleach-splotched shirt and blushed, then shrugged his shoulders. "She insisted, Miss Parker."
Parker walked to the desk, sat down and immediately lit a cigarette. Sydney noticed her fatigue.
"Something wrong Miss Parker? You haven't lit up in a while.""I'm having one, so leave it Sydney."
Broots placed her coffee on the desk.
"You look tired. Is everyth...." the doctor spoke again."Sydney, please!" she slammed her hand on the desk.
Broots backtracked.
“I...I... I...I've got... ttthings to do." he stuttered as he scurried out.
Parker took a calming breath. "Sydney please...just leave it."
He put his hand up in submission.
"Did Jarod call?" he asked as he rose to leave.She laughed "Yeah, in my dreams."
Sydney was confused at her answer but saw little point in pursuing any further conversation with her this morning. Parker was on edge and that edge was razor sharp today. As he strolled out, he made a mental note to give her a wide berth for the rest of the day. They could talk about Jarod tomorrow.