Room 234/236 - Saturday morning
After receiving the weirdest package ever, an exhausting evening of playing "chase Angelo" through Pippi's place, Anders' room, the Fourth Floor Common room, and Jack's room, Parker had returned to her own room to collapse and call Jarod, who thought the whole thing was way too funny. Today, she's going to be smarter about this. And not freak out.
Really.
Before leaving, though, Parker sat down to watch the first file, which had finally decrypted.
She really wished it hadn't, after.
It was the Centre again. Some sublevel she hadn't seen before. A corridor.
Centre Security 4/12/99 The day before her mom died.
Her mother, looking cautious, talking to a man with his back to the camera. "Did you find out where they're keeping Timmy?"
"He's in room 155." The man was tall, but nothing else was recognizable.
"We have *got* to get Jarod and Timmy out of here tonight. I have a gut feeling something's going to happen. Confiscate all surveillance data, especially the camera records of us now." Her mom shot the camera a look, tense and aware. "I can't have the wrong people find out about this."
"I'll take care of it now."
"The children's lives depends on us."
The scene cut off, and Parker was barely able to think, Mr. I. Fen-something, I presume before another scene flashed on the computer.
A different corridor. An door opened, and Mr. Raines appeared. Same date stamp.
"Mrs. Parker. What are you doing here?" Raines was clearly unhappy to see her.
"I came by to visit with Timmy." Her mom smiled hopefully, holding herself straight. Only knowing what she did about Thanksgiving let Parker see the traces of fear around the edges.
"I don't think that's a good idea."
"Well, Dr. Raines, my husband thinks it's important I visit with all the children."
A disgusted sigh. "Wait here." Raines turned away, looking displeased, and went through the door, and returned with-- "Angelo?" God, she'd almost forgotten when he was that little, but then, she hadn't met him until a month or so after Mom died. He looked small for his age, and... scared.
"Hi! Timmy." Her mother smiled warmly and knelt down to his level, reaching out to smooth his T-shirt. "My name is Catherine. How are you doing?"
"I miss my mom and dad."
"Ohh." Catherine stroked his cheek, just as caring as Parker remembered. "I know you do, honey."
"Come on, Timmy." Raines grasped his shoulder, and propelled him away from Catherine, who paced in front of the door a moment, before walking away.
"What?" Parker reached out to the screen, shocked. Angelo, talking in complete sentences, and looking-- normal? Being called Timmy? What the hell--
Another video file sprang to life. Same corridor. The next day. The day her mom died.
"No. No. Timmy!" Every hair on Parker's body stood on end as her mom ran down the corridor, slamming open the door to the room. Whatever was in there wasn't in view of the camera, but her scream-- oh, god. It had her shaking, even with no idea what had just happened.
"You shouldn't have come in here!" Raines yelled from off-camera, then dragged her mother into the corridor, in frame, weeping, looking devastated.
"My god, Raines, what did you do to that little boy?"
"It was an experiment!"
"My husband won't stand for this!"
"You don't know your husband as well as you think you do! My advice is for you to forget what you've seen, if you know what's good for you."
Mom pulled away from him, and stumbled back into the room.
The video file switched over to the interior, and Parker retched, caught herself, and covered her mouth.
Timmy was strapped down to a chair. Body limp, eyes staring at nothing, mouth slack. There were electrodes attached to his scalp.
"Timmy, Timmy. Ohh..." Catherine Parker kneeled next to him, stroking his hair, lifting his head. He didn't respond, and her mom's crying intensified.
After a few seconds, she looked back at Raines, standing in the door. "Raines, what are you going to do with Timmy now?"
Not a flicker of expression. "There is no Timmy any more. From now on he is to be called... Angelo."
Her mom hugged the little boy-- Timmy, Angelo, Angelo-Timmy-- on-screen, crying and kissing his head.
The screen went blank.
"Oh, God." She'd always thought Angelo had been born the way he was, or at worst grown into it, not that he'd... that the Centre had... Parker folded her arms over her stomach, sick. Her father hadn't known about this. He couldn't have. He couldn't have.
She had to find Angelo. He'd come all this way to tell her what had happened to him, she had to find him now.
Shaken, Parker e-mailed the file to Jarod, with the note: First file. Brace yourself. I'm killing Raines at the end of this weekend. Gone to look for Angelo. then grabbed a box of Cracker Jack, and headed out of her room to find help.
[lj cut is for disturbing canon imagery]
.
Really.
Before leaving, though, Parker sat down to watch the first file, which had finally decrypted.
She really wished it hadn't, after.
It was the Centre again. Some sublevel she hadn't seen before. A corridor.
Centre Security 4/12/99 The day before her mom died.
Her mother, looking cautious, talking to a man with his back to the camera. "Did you find out where they're keeping Timmy?"
"He's in room 155." The man was tall, but nothing else was recognizable.
"We have *got* to get Jarod and Timmy out of here tonight. I have a gut feeling something's going to happen. Confiscate all surveillance data, especially the camera records of us now." Her mom shot the camera a look, tense and aware. "I can't have the wrong people find out about this."
"I'll take care of it now."
"The children's lives depends on us."
The scene cut off, and Parker was barely able to think, Mr. I. Fen-something, I presume before another scene flashed on the computer.
A different corridor. An door opened, and Mr. Raines appeared. Same date stamp.
"Mrs. Parker. What are you doing here?" Raines was clearly unhappy to see her.
"I came by to visit with Timmy." Her mom smiled hopefully, holding herself straight. Only knowing what she did about Thanksgiving let Parker see the traces of fear around the edges.
"I don't think that's a good idea."
"Well, Dr. Raines, my husband thinks it's important I visit with all the children."
A disgusted sigh. "Wait here." Raines turned away, looking displeased, and went through the door, and returned with-- "Angelo?" God, she'd almost forgotten when he was that little, but then, she hadn't met him until a month or so after Mom died. He looked small for his age, and... scared.
"Hi! Timmy." Her mother smiled warmly and knelt down to his level, reaching out to smooth his T-shirt. "My name is Catherine. How are you doing?"
"I miss my mom and dad."
"Ohh." Catherine stroked his cheek, just as caring as Parker remembered. "I know you do, honey."
"Come on, Timmy." Raines grasped his shoulder, and propelled him away from Catherine, who paced in front of the door a moment, before walking away.
"What?" Parker reached out to the screen, shocked. Angelo, talking in complete sentences, and looking-- normal? Being called Timmy? What the hell--
Another video file sprang to life. Same corridor. The next day. The day her mom died.
"No. No. Timmy!" Every hair on Parker's body stood on end as her mom ran down the corridor, slamming open the door to the room. Whatever was in there wasn't in view of the camera, but her scream-- oh, god. It had her shaking, even with no idea what had just happened.
"You shouldn't have come in here!" Raines yelled from off-camera, then dragged her mother into the corridor, in frame, weeping, looking devastated.
"My god, Raines, what did you do to that little boy?"
"It was an experiment!"
"My husband won't stand for this!"
"You don't know your husband as well as you think you do! My advice is for you to forget what you've seen, if you know what's good for you."
Mom pulled away from him, and stumbled back into the room.
The video file switched over to the interior, and Parker retched, caught herself, and covered her mouth.
Timmy was strapped down to a chair. Body limp, eyes staring at nothing, mouth slack. There were electrodes attached to his scalp.
"Timmy, Timmy. Ohh..." Catherine Parker kneeled next to him, stroking his hair, lifting his head. He didn't respond, and her mom's crying intensified.
After a few seconds, she looked back at Raines, standing in the door. "Raines, what are you going to do with Timmy now?"
Not a flicker of expression. "There is no Timmy any more. From now on he is to be called... Angelo."
Her mom hugged the little boy-- Timmy, Angelo, Angelo-Timmy-- on-screen, crying and kissing his head.
The screen went blank.
"Oh, God." She'd always thought Angelo had been born the way he was, or at worst grown into it, not that he'd... that the Centre had... Parker folded her arms over her stomach, sick. Her father hadn't known about this. He couldn't have. He couldn't have.
She had to find Angelo. He'd come all this way to tell her what had happened to him, she had to find him now.
Shaken, Parker e-mailed the file to Jarod, with the note: First file. Brace yourself. I'm killing Raines at the end of this weekend. Gone to look for Angelo. then grabbed a box of Cracker Jack, and headed out of her room to find help.
[lj cut is for disturbing canon imagery]
.