Disclaimer: Please see Chapter 1 for the usual cautionary statements.

Author's note: I apologize for the extremely long delay in posting this chapter. Thanks for your patience as well as your encouragement.

The things I do…

Chapter XIII

By Callisto

Jarod's family lair

Green Lake, WI

Parker spotted her twin wandering around outside in the backyard. Her own instincts told her that he was on the brink of disappearing from her life once and for all. She decided to reach out to her twin and see if there was any hope of establishing a bond of some sort with him--beyond the visceral reaches of their shared gift.

Alex heard and felt her approach. It was an opportunity he had been hoping for, he wanted a chance to speak with her, to let her know that he would stay in touch but couldn't help being himself. "It must be comforting to know that after losing one family which had been systematically torn apart by murder and death that you've been accepted into another with such admirable ease. I would also like to point out that the fellow has designs on you that I'm not too sure I approve of--as your eldest brother."

Parker smiled faintly and stood quietly next to her sociopath twin. She felt strangely comfortable in his presence--something she never felt with Lyle. He didn't seem to suffer from any of the barely concealed sexual attraction that always seemed on the brink of unveiling itself with crazy Lyle.

"I have the feeling you're about to leave and although for you eating a Popsicle is the same as killing someone, I can't help but care about your non-existent feelings. We're family and that means something to me."

"I almost killed you at one time. How can you feel anything for me other than apprehension and fear?"

"I'm not afraid of you--sorry to disappoint. I can barely imagine what was done to you to shape you into the person you are today. But for now, you're right. Losing the only family I've known most of my life around the same time that I found out that he wasn't any relation to me, hurts and relieves me in ways I'm still struggling to explain even to myself."

Alex nodded absently, changing direction and walking slowly towards the barn. "I'm glad I was able to resist my baser instincts and not murder you from a misguided hatred that you were given all the love and attention that should have been shared between us," he replied with a grim smile.

"If memory serves, it was Jarod who changed your mind and influenced your unexpected moral itch by heaving a weighted joist aimed at your head. I'm not stupid little brother, nor am I getting maudlin in my old age. You've changed since the first time we formally met. I want to enjoy that while I still have you," Parker said with studied impassivity.

"What exactly do you have in mind?" Alex asked with a snort of disbelief hiding his utter shock.

"Have dinner with me. I know you're leaving tomorrow and I want to spend a little time with you," she replied without displaying any of the nervousness she actually felt.

Alex stared ahead as he considered her offer. "What about 'the family'? They're expecting you to eat with them tonight. You don't want to spoil a good thing. Jarod had to do some pretty impressive maneuvering to get his mother to see what she was doing."

"I want to spend some time with you, now. Neither one of us knows when this opportunity will present itself again. Humor me," she said quietly as she wound her arm through his. He automatically brought his arm at a right angle completing the link.

"Hey, it's alright with me," he replied in the same tone.

"Let's go to a steak house I noticed on the way here. The food is probably terrible but it's the company I'm after."

Ethan observed his siblings talking through the same window Parker had first spotted Alex. A curious feeling engulfed his senses and turning to his father he said, "I think I'll have dinner with them tonight. It's strange, this is the first time it's really occurred to me but we're the family that my mother had always wanted. As much as this family means to me, I want to know them as well."

With that, Ethan walked through the patio doors and followed his older siblings from the rear yard and towards the barn. He sprinted a bit and almost ran into them as they waited for him at the edge of the driveway.

"It's about time, Ethan," Parker teased with exaggerated patience. "I knew he would be coming, he's so typical."

"Typical? In what way?"

Giving Ethan a genuinely affectionate smile, she wrapped an arm around his shoulders and hugged him to her warmly. "He's the youngest and therefore would want to tag along with his older brother and sister, where ever we go."

"Hey, who else could keep you two out of trouble? Besides, it's about time we had a family dinner."

Jarod watched what was left of Catherine Parker's family walk slowly down the long driveway. With quiet understanding he returned to putting the finishing touches to his family dinner. He knew it would take some time but he was determined to get Morwen to accept their relationship for what it was, permanent and that her family would naturally become an extension of his own.

The steakhouse had a moderate crowd and the food turned out to be far better than Parker had anticipated but it was conversation she was after. At first the dialogue lagged ominously into silence and she feared that her efforts would go unrealized but she forgot that her twin had abilities heretofore unknown to her and that he had his own reasons for agreeing to this impromptu meeting.

"Let's skip all the chit-chat about our respective childhoods. I think it's safe to say that I probably had it worse than you two but that's a distinction I could have lived a rich and full life without. Morwen, what I wanted to speak to you about is the present which also means the future," Alex began in an amiable tone of voice.

After a lengthy pause, Parker's trademark impatience revealed itself, "Well? What is it you wanted to say?"

"It's about the Centre. Everything always seems to boil down to that place. I've never been inside but I'm sick of even thinking about it," Ethan remarked with sarcastic disgust.

"Thank your lucky stars you've never had to live there. What I have to say is for your own good. As bad as Erebus was there is someone worse just waiting in the wings. It was hard enough unearthing that fiend, this next one will be twice as difficult and extremely dangerous," Alex responded.

"Someone worse? I don't think I want to even consider what could be worse then Erebus," Parker said with weary defeat and she sank back and thought about what Alex was implying.

"Start. Tristian--plain old Tristian, no code names here, just happens to be Erebus' brother. The story goes they were born as conjoined twins and the tricky job of separating them was done by the Centre when they were infants. Erebus had his weaknesses, one being his over-weaning arrogance and believing his own press. Tristian is a different kettle of fish, however, like Erebus he is very dangerous. From what I've learned he is more reserved, cautious and focused. He's smart, methodical and has even fewer weaknesses than Erebus. So far, the only thing I've been able to unearth about Tristian is that he fell in love with his Control, much like a certain prototype we know," Alex said with a nod at his sister. "Unfortunately for us, we may have animated at least one of his weaknesses--revenge. Apparently the twins didn't communicate much but Tristian wouldn't take it too well that we killed his brother."

"How do you know all this?" Ethan asked.

"I used recently retired Triumvirate lackey Klouchi's access to find out what the Triumvirate knew about any of the Centre's secret projects. They know everything but vigorously maintain their ignorance in order to hold on to their advantage over Raines. Knowledge is power."

"Any idea how long we have before Tristian decides to come hunting for us?" Parker asked quietly.

"Raines will probably take great pleasure in watching Tristian grieve over his insane brother but he doesn't want to attract the attention of the Triumvirate, so I would guess it will be probably a month, maybe less," Alex replied watching his twin's reactions closely.

Parker leaned back and mentally digested what Alex had just told her. She would have to share this information with Jarod and decisions had to be made on their own personal course of action. Remaining together would be their best option and if the Jongewaard protocol was to be believed, they were strongest together.

"What about Tristian's tactics? Do you have any suggestions on how we should prepare for any retaliation?" Ethan asked.

"I have less on Tristian than I did on Erebus. The easy part with Erebus is that he was darkly flamboyant and anticipating his strategy was much like figuring out a number progression. Tristian will probably come after us when we least expect it. He'll be given access to our files and time to study us, we won't be the unknown quantity that he will be to us."

Parker listened to Alex's explanation with impatience. She anticipated Tristian having access to all their files--courtesy of Mr. Raines and his insatiable appetite for power and revenge. There was a more pressing question that came to her mind. "What are you going to do in the meantime?"

"After enjoying a few days of rest and relaxation, I'm going to start reconnaissance on Tristian, if I can find him."

Sydney's residence

Powell Lake, BC

The months had passed with a gentle ease that had been missing from most of his life, before the Nazi's showed up dispensing their own brand of death and destruction. Sydney pondered his present and future and the equation kept coming up short. There was the odd time or so when he had felt it necessary to distance himself from his feelings about his niece, he did so with a mercilessness that could leave no one in doubt as to his own emotional detachment towards her. Every time he was forced to do this he felt lessened by yet another degree but he was usually rewarded by the self-satisfied expression on the faces of both Raines and Mr. Parker. Sydney wondered if Parker was aware of their connection, if she was then he could only imagine the depth of her uncompromising anger.

He had been distracted into these thoughts while watching the seabirds dive for fish in the harbor. The morning was quiet, as were most of his days. With a deep sigh, Sydney got up from his comfortable chair and set aside the book of prose he hadn't been reading to refresh his cup of tea. As he was returning, his cell phone began to ring.

"Hello?"

"There's been so many secrets and lies bandied about, I thought the damage and pain they had caused would be evident to anyone involved--including you."

A wide smile graced the elderly psychiatrist's face as the sound of his protégé's voice floated in an melodic baritone through the connection. "I have borne witness to the often devastating effects of the lies, though I must say there are some secrets that need to remain as they are. Jarod, it's always good to hear your voice. How are you doing?"

"What would be the reason for keeping those secrets? Too many have already taken a few of them to their graves leaving those behind ignorant and blind. Wounds are left to fester by those unanswered questions," Jarod said evenly, barely keeping his anger in check.

"You're angry. What is it? What has spawned this flare of emotion?"

"I've found my mother."

"That's wonderful, Jarod! Is everything alright? When you found her, was she in good health?"

"Thank you, Sydney. Yes, my mother is fine and she's answered a number of questions--even a few that weren't asked."

"What sort of questions?" Sydney inquired keenly. He knew he was now at the heart of Jarod's anger.

"About Jacob and his connection with Catherine Parker."

"That isn't a secret, Catherine and Jacob worked together to free some of the children who were kidnapped by the Centre," Sydney reasoned cautiously.

"Why are you holding onto the secrets?" Jarod argued sadly at his former mentor. His heartfelt disappointment bleeding through every word. "You knew Jacob was her father but you said nothing. He died in front of both of you and you cried on her should but remained silent."

Sydney's heart constricted painfully and his lips began to quiver at the onslaught of Jarod's accusations. Dry-eyed Sydney replied in an emotion-choked whisper, "You have no idea how long I've wanted to tell her, but her father was always there. She was so devoted to Mr. Parker and after losing her mother, I knew I could never reveal our connection. In our last session, I told Catherine that I knew Mr. Parker couldn't be her daughter's father. She admitted to me what Jacob had done for her, she was so desperate for a child and swore me to secrecy. Jarod, she told me that Parker threatened her life if their daughter was ever told. He went so far as to insinuate that Miss Parker would suffer the trauma of becoming one of Raines' newest experiments if he ever detected a change in her affection for him."

"She had a right to know!! You could have explained it to her, told her everything you've just told me. You were both assigned to pursue me, you must have had plenty of chances to reveal what you knew," Jarod pressed.

"If I did, then her life would have been in danger. After being imprisoned in a concentration camp, I could never stand by and see another member of my family, whether they were aware of being family or not, in a similar situation."

Only the heartfelt and solemn declaration could shock Jarod into silence. He vividly remembered the day he had asked Sydney about the number he saw tattooed on the psychiatrist's forearm. Before Jarod could compose himself to respond, Sydney did it for him.

"Tell her I've always loved her and that I believe her greatest gift to her father was being able to see her the day he died." With that Sydney severed the connection, leaving Jarod stunned and his mentor emotionally spent. The elderly man allowed the bitter tears he had kept pent up since the day Catherine revealed her secrets to him, to flow freely.

Playa de las Vistas Resort

Santa Catalina, Canary Islands

He had arrived several days ago but decided to enjoy the heat and the solitude of the suite. The ocean was a soothing azure expanse generously adorned with sparkling diamonds of sun-dipped reflections that beckoned like a seductive siren. Soon he would approach the target and bring to an end what should never had started. The man leaned back in his deck chair on the balcony and reveled in the warmth of the day as he took a leisurely sip of the fruity drink the attendant ordered in place of his ennui. The suite had been readied for him however, his presence was achieved under the radar. His bosses were unaware of his mission or even who was here.

Lifting the binoculars from the small table at his elbow, the man peered through the lenses and almost immediately found what he wanted. The target was tanned, tall, muscular and masculine. He was applying a small dollop of suntan lotion on his chest, which attracted the attention of most every woman on the sand as his hand casually passed over each defined pectoral muscle and tantalizingly smoothed the glistening goo over the 6-pack of abdominal muscles. The wrinkled old man watching observed this display with a small satisfied smile--yes, Tristian, enjoy today for tomorrow your world will change forever.

Note: Yep, this is where the story was supposed to end. The reason is I had contemplated another sequel but now I think that should depend on input from the readers. Happy New Year!!