Title: BETRAYAL

Author: Natasha

Email: natasha@kyxar.fr

Fandom: The Pretender

Rating: NC17 (slash m/m)

Pairing: Jarod/Lyle

Disclaimer: not mine.

Archive: yes

Summary: Takes place during season 4 first ep, "The World is changing." Jarod is trapped in a cage at the Centre and Lyle is his tormentor. In the ep, Jarod managed to escape.

In my story, Sydney advises Jarod to pretend he's been broken in order to gain Lyle's confidence and have a better chances of escaping. Jarod does so, but Lyle soon forces him to become his lover. Jarod tries to exploit Lyle's attraction to him, but who's pretending? Meanwhile, a ghost from the past comes back to life and Miss Parker and Lyle discover a lot about their real relatives and their past...

Thanks to Kindli and Helen for the beta reading.

This story is archived at my site, http://www.geocities.com/lauren2491/pretender/pretender.html

BETRAYAL
by Natasha
*=*=*=*=*=

It had been three weeks. At least, Jarod thought so. He wasn't sure he had really kept track of time. Three weeks since the Centre had trapped him again and caged him like a wild animal. Jarod had thought they would put him in a cell, but Lyle had brought him into this giant cage, with iron bars and no furniture. The only people Jarod had seen during this time were the guards who brought him food (if the mixture he received could be called food), and Lyle.

Jarod had expected to see Sydney, or perhaps even Raines, but none of them had shown up. He knew time was running out, and that he was going mad. He'd been accustomed to loneliness, but not this kind of loneliness. When he was at the Centre, he'd never spent more than one day without talking to Sydney or even Raines and he was always busy doing simulations or reading. Three weeks without anything more to do than eating and sleeping was more that he could bear. He couldn't even move. Most of the time he stayed glued to the back wall - his knees under his chin - trying to forget he had no clothes. His nakedness embarrassed him.

He was going mad. The only comforting thought was that his father and the young clone were safe, somewhere in the wide world. He didn't even know if Miss Parker was still alive. He hadn't wanted to ask Lyle, knowing he wouldn't have an answer. Even he hadn't shown up this week.

Jarod heard a noise and lifted his head. When he saw Sydney, he couldn't believe his eyes, but he remained cautious. He knew the video cameras were on him, and he knew he couldn't show too much enthusiasm. He stayed where he was and waited for Sydney to kneel down at his eye level.

"Don't move, Jarod!", the older man whispered. "Don't speak. Lyle is watching us."

That's why Sydney was speaking French instead of English, Jarod thought, keeping a straight face.

"Good.", Sydney resumed. "They believe that you've broken. You don't move - you don't ask anything - so Lyle thinks you're almost finished."

"Why do they believe that?" Jarod whispered.

"Lyle's weakness is that he believes that shrinks are sorcerers.", Sydney said with a light smile. "When I told him that you had broken, he believed me. That's why he eventually allowed me to see you."

"So you were here, all that time," Jarod said.

"Of course I was! I wasn't authorized to see you, but I tried to do the best I could to help you. Now listen to me, Jarod. I've good news for you. I received an email from your father - no, stay quiet! - he's alive and free, with the clone. I don't know where, but they're both ready to help you."

"How?"

"We can't do anything while you're trapped here.", Sydney answered. "The clone studied the possibilities and concluded that escaping from here is impossible. But if they transfer you to another cell, that will all change. Make them believe you're ready to cooperate."

"I won't do that!", Jarod replied in a dry tone. "I won't do simulations! Never again!"

"A few simulations won't change the fate of the world, Jarod.", Sydney argued with good reason. "And they may be the key to your freedom. There've been some changes here. Raines is gone, the Devil knows where. Miss Parker is still recovering. Mr Parker had disappeared. Lyle is in charge now and that bastard trusts me enough when it's about your mental health. I told him you were ready to cooperate."

Jarod lowered his eyes. Somewhere deep in him he knew Sydney was right, but his pride refused to submit to Lyle.

"I'll kill that worm!", he spat in low voice. "Slowly and surely!"

"And I'll help you." Sydney smiled. "So are you okay with that?"

Jarod waited a few moments before nodding. "Okay."

"Good. Now, make him believe you're crying. Pretend you're broken, shaken, upset, and that you need comfort. I told him that you'd need me as a kind of father figure to guide you."

"Good.", Jarod replied, as tears began to run on his cheeks, before sobs shook his body.

"What a show!" Sydney whispered, his face straight.

"Thank you!", Jarod replied with a sob.

*=*=*=*=*=*

Three hours later, Jarod was lying down on a bed , dressed in grey sweatpants and T-shirt, in another cell which was at least larger and more comfortable with concrete walls to surround him. He was wondering what was going to happen now. He'd been given clothes, then was led into this cell and four guards had gently but firmly made him lie face down on the bed and then bound his hands and ankles to the bedposts, before leaving him alone.

Lyle entered the cell with his usual confident smile.

"I like seeing you like that.", he said with a smile that one might have found kind but Jarod thought was scary.

"What do you want?", Jarod asked dryly.

Lyle smiled and produced a small videodisk which he put into the reader and then he switched on the TV set. "Time for fun, Jarod.", he said. "This video shows you last night in your cell. I guess you never knew your food had been drugged?"

Jarod turned pale when he saw Lyle entering his cell on the screen and kneeling before Jarod's limp form, which was curled up on the floor near the wall.

Lyle made him roll over onto his back and stroked his face. He wasn't wearing his glove. Jarod's body was totally relaxed. Lyle ran his hand over Jarod's naked body, from his neck to his hips, teasing the other man's nipples. He placed featherlike strokes on Jarod's muscled torso, then parted his legs, giving himself full access to Jarod's manhood. Lyle ran a single finger over Jarod's limp cock, then pumped it, bringing the shaft to life until the sleeping man came into his hand with a moan. Then the video stopped.

Jarod's face was red with embarrassment and wrath. He couldn't believe what he had just watched.

"It can't have happened!", he whispered.

"Of course it happened.", Lyle replied. "You're so cute when you're sleeping." While saying this, he patted Jarod's ass through the material of the sweetpants. Jarod understood now why he hadn't been given underwear. He twisted in his bonds to escape Lyle's hand. "It seems you need to learn a thing or two.", Lyle noticed conversationally. He pulled Jarod's sweatpants down to his knees. The pretender gasped at the feeling of cool air on his naked ass and forgot his pride.

"Please, Lyle, don't do it!", he begged.

"Come on, Jarod! We both know it's useless to argue.", Lyle answered. "I'm going to fuck you, that's all."

"Bastard!", Jarod exclaimed, wriggling against his bonds in a desperate attempt to free himself.

Lyle sighed, "You like it the hard way, don't you Jarod?"

Jarod turned his head and saw Lyle taking off his leather belt. He tensed as he saw Lyle raising his arm. When the leather belt hit his ass so hard that the noise echoed loudly into the room, Jarod yelled in pain, as a burning path began on his sensitive flesh.

Lyle hit him several more times, then stopped and patted again Jarod's ass. This time the pretender didn't move, accepting the stroke.

"Good boy.", Lyle whispered. "You know Jarod, you're like a stubborn little boy. I ordered you to do simulations and you refused. I had to keep you in a cage for three weeks before you realized I'm the one in charge. Now you're arguing again. You're my slave, Jarod, body and soul. I own you. The Triumvirate wants simulations, but they don't give a damn about what happens to you."

Jarod tried to calm his too rapid breathing. He had never experienced sex with another man. He had sometimes thought he could pretend being gay if he needed to, but he knew that sex with Lyle would probably be far from enjoyable. Lyle slid two pillows under Jarod's hips, making him feel even more vulnerable if possible, then climbed on the bed behind him. Jarod was now breathing slowly and deeply, knowing that contracting his muscles would make the pain worse. He had no doubt that Lyle was going to hurt him. Lyle didn't want to fuck him - Lyle wanted to hurt him, to humiliate him, to break him further. He heard the sound of a zipper and closed his eyes.

"As you've decided to be a good boy, I'll use lube.", Lyle said in his pleasant tone. "It'll make things more agreeable for me, too. Don't worry, Jarod, I won't hurt you too much. Tomorrow morning you've a job to perform."

Jarod repressed a start when he felt the tip of Lyle's coated cock against his puckered opening. He tried to escape far away with his mind, but a hard slap on his butt brought him back to reality.

"Don't even think of doing that!", Lyle said. "I want you to be aware of what I'm doing to you. Don't try to escape. I know that trick. I've used it myself sometimes. Keep your eyes open."

Jarod obeyed. He felt Lyle's hands on his asscheeks, parting them, exposing him in the most vulnerable way. Then he felt his entrance first teased, spread and then stretched to an unbearable point as Lyle's hard shaft entered him. He bit his pillow to avoid crying aloud under the excruciating pain. He had the feeling he had just been torn! His ass was burning as if hot lava had entered him. Lyle thrust more and Jarod couldn't even get out a
moan of pain. His fists were clenched on the bedclothes.

"Are you enjoying it, Jarod?", Lyle asked while his hand was patting Jarod's ass. "I'm only half way in, you know."

Jarod didn't know if he could handle more. Tears began to form in the corner of his eyes. Lyle pushed in a few inches more and Jarod yelled in pain, panting. He felt Lyle's hips against his asscheeks and understood that the other man was now entirely inside of him.

"You're so tight, Jarod!", Lyle panted. "I like that."

He thrust once into Jarod and the pretender gave another cry of pain. His ass was on fire and he lost count of Lyle's hard thrusts into him. He felt Lyle coming and coming deep inside of him with a cry of pleasure and soon the other man withdrew, panting.

"God, it was so good!", Lyle exclaimed, collapsing on Jarod's back.

Jarod became aware of the tears were running down his cheeks. He bit hard on his lower lip to stop them.

"Don't torture your lips.", Lyle whispered softly. Still on top of Jarod, he kept his weight pinning Jarod down on the mattress and gently kissed him on the cheek. "Shh!", he whispered in a gentle tone. Don't cry. It's over. Now you're mine." He licked Jarod's tears and the pretender wondered which was the most disgusting - Lyle's cum running down his thighs or Lyle's saliva on his cheek. He fought back a growing nausea.

Lyle's sudden gentleness scared him far more than his brutality. He closed his eyes, trying to forget Lyle's mouth on his face and neck, trying to think despite the pain in the small of his back and Lyle's disgusting ministrations.

"Poor Jarod.", Lyle said again. "If you weren't so stubborn, you wouldn't have to suffer so much." He got up and patted Jarod's head. "I'll leave you. I want you to think about your behavior."

*=*=*=*=*=

Lyle came back one hour later. Jarod's body was sore from being fucked, the whipping and the restraints and he moaned when Lyle stroked his ass.

"I know it hurts.", Lyle said, his hand running over Jarod's back. "But it's your fault, Jarod. I don't like hurting you. I'd like to be gentle with you, like I was when you were asleep. You were so cooperative that time. Your body loved what I did to you."

He gently pulled on Jarod's sweatpants and undid the bonds and the pretender curled into a ball with a moan of agony. Lyle sat down on the mattress and took Jarod's head on his lap, his hand playing with Jarod's hair. Jarod let him do so, a sharp pain in the small of his back making him wince. His thighs were sticky and he felt dirty and he fought back the urge to bite Lyle's hand.

"Now you're going to tell me who owns you, Jarod.", Lyle said.

"You.", Jarod whispered, "you own me... Sir."

"Good boy.", Lyle repeated. "Don't you feel better, now? You'll see, Jarod. Next time will be far less painful."

*=*=*=*=*=*

Jarod's skin was still red from the hard rub he had given himself under the shower after Lyle's departure, when Sydney entered his cell.

Jarod tensed, but Sydney's face was cryptic as he said quietly, "Your wrist, Jarod."

Jarod obeyed and Sydney clasped a thick, black plastic bangle around his left wrist. Jarod didn't even ask what it was. He knew. The bangle was probably filled with some microprocessors to track him. Sydney sat on the bed near the other man and whispered, still using French.

"The bangle is filled with microprocessors, of course, but there is more. A needle and a dose of drugs. As soon as they lose track of you, the needle will send you into a deep sleep."

"How can I remove it?", Jarod asked, kneeling on the bed. His butt was still sore and he winced in pain. Sydney didn't seem to notice.

"You can't. If you try to open it - to cut it - the needle enters into action.", Sydney said to him. "That piece of crap is a little marvel of technology."

Jarod didn't reply. He wriggled, trying to be more comfortable and this time he felt Sydney's gaze on his body.

"Lyle had shut off the videos.", Sydney said without looking at Jarod. "I was so worried that I asked Broots to switch them on again."

"So you know."

"I saw what he did to you."

"I'll survive.", Jarod said, looking away. "He didn't break me, Sydney. He hurt me, he made me hate him more, if possible, but he didn't break me."

But his voice shook on the last words and he bit his lips to restrain the tears that threatened to run down his cheeks. Sydney didn't say a word, just opened his arms as Jarod sank into his embrace, his head on the older man's shoulder like when he was a little boy. Silent tears leaked from his eyes as he let Sydney comfort him like in the old days.

"Oh Jarod, I'm so sorry.", Sydney whispered, patting the younger man's back. "What can I do for you?"

Jarod shook his head. "I'll survive.", he said bitterly. "The worst is... he told me he'll do it again."

"I'll try to obtain a few days of rest for you, to allow you to heal.", Sydney said softly. He sighed, "Lyle is a psychopath. Since you're back, it seems you've turned into an obsession for him. I have to admit I don't understand exactly what he wants."

"It seems obvious to me.", Jarod sighed. "He wants to break me, to reduce me to a slave state."

Sydney hummed. "Maybe... maybe not. I wonder if Lyle simply doesn't want you... to love him!"

Jarod's jaw dropped open but he didn't have time to ask for more explanations.

A guard had entered the cell and told Sydney, "Sorry, Sir, but you must leave. I've orders."

Sydney nodded and exited the cell with one last gaze at Jarod.

*=*=*=*=*=

Jarod was waking up from a horrible nightmare when he heard the door open. He tensed when he smelled Lyle's aftershave. The other man knelt beside his bed and gently patted his head.

"I watched you sleep," Lyle whispered, "and I saw you having a nightmare."

Jarod nodded, half asleep. Lyle smiled to him and kissed him on the forehead, tucking him in. "Sleep well!", he whispered. Sydney's voice echoed in Jarod's mind as he slid into leep again.

"I wonder if Lyle simply doesn't want you to love him!"

*=*=*=*=*

The next few days Jarod performed the simulations Lyle asked him to do. Sydney was nowhere to be seen but he must have succeeded in convincing Lyle to leave Jarod alone. Nevertheless, Lyle didn't deprive himself of touching the pretender each time he could, patting his head, putting his hands on the other man's shoulders. Jarod felt disgusted and his stomach twisted each time he felt Lyle touching him. On the fifth day, deep into the simulation, he literally jumped out of his skin when Lyle stroked his neck.

"Hey, take it easy, Jarod!", Lyle said. He seemed hurt by Jarod's sudden tension. "I'm not going to hit you, you know."

Jarod didn't reply. His whole body was tense with fear. He knew he had healed enough to handle another fuck, and he knew Lyle was aware of it. Lyle would probably come to see him tonight and Jarod wondered how many sessions he could stand before cracking up.

"Drop that and come with me.", Lyle suddenly said. "You need some fresh air."

Jarod followed him down the hallways and into the elevators and was deeply surprised to see they were headed for a large park, closed off by a high wall and controlled by guards.

"We're going to walk a bit.", Lyle said. "Of course you won't try anything as stupid as an attempt to escape, will you?"

Jarod shook his head. He wasn't that stupid. With nobody to help him on the other side of the wall and the bangle at his wrist ready to shoot him with sedatives, he wouldn't go far away.

"Good.", Lyle smiled approvingly. "You know, Jarod, I'd like... I'd like you to be a bit more cooperative."

"I'm cooperative.", Jarod replied dryly. "I do your fucking simulations!"

He mentally called himself a moron. He shouldn't have used that word. It might give Lyle nasty ideas.

"Fucking,", Lyle said, "is the right word. Jarod, I know I hurt you deeply the other day. As I told you, I don't like hurting you."

"Really? I thought you enjoyed it!", Jarod snapped.

"No!" Lyle's tone was firm. "There was a time when I hated you, Jarod. But that's in the past. Now I'd like you and me to be... friends." Jarod wondered if the man walking beside him was really crazy or just pretending to be. Friends! Lyle resumed, "Tonight, I'd like to
not have to use restraints. Sex between men can be great, Jarod, you know." Lyle looked at the pretender as if he was an adult reasoning with a child.

Jarod looked at him and whispered, "You won't need restraints. I'll let you do what you want."

*=*=*=*=*

Later in the evening, Jarod was back in his room. He found a book on the nightstand and laughed despite himself. It was a gay erotic novel about a slave and his master in the Roman world. He opened it and began to read it. Perhaps the book could give him some clues to control Lyle, after all. He only hoped that Lyle wasn't going to kiss him on the mouth. At the single idea of Lyle's tongue in his mouth, he felt nauseous.

Two hours after dinner Lyle entered the cell and Jarod immediately rose to his feet, feeling much too vulnerable lying on his stomach, reading a book. Lyle laughed.

"Don't be so tense, Jarod!", he said cheerfully. "How do you feel?"

Jarod thought of lying and telling him he was still suffering from the assault Lyle had perpetrated on him, but he feared that Lyle might ask a Centre doctor to check him out, so he said, "I'm fine."

"Good.", Lyle said, coming so close to Jarod that their bodies brushed. Jarod immediately tensed and Lyle came closer, wrapping his arms around Jarod's frame. "Don't be afraid!", he said softly. "I'm sure you know what I want."

"I know.", Jarod whispered. Bowing his head and gritting his teeth, he stripped quickly before lying face down on the bed.

Lyle smiled approvingly. "Good, Jarod, you understand right away."

This time he stripped in turn and Jarod let his gaze slip over Lyle's body. The man had a thin and muscled body that Jarod would have found attractive in other circumstances. The pretender gasped when he saw Lyle's erect cock. No wonder he had suffered so badly the previous time! Lyle was hung like a horse.

"Take it easy, Jarod.", Lyle said while climbing up behind him. "As I told you, I don't like hurting you."

Lyle slowly stroked Jarod's back and the pretender closed his eyes. Now it was time to begin his plan. He let his mind slip away from the room and imagined he was out there. The man behind him, stroking his back and buttocks with gentle motions wasn't Lyle anymore, but an anonymous man with a beautiful body and... Jarod had an amused smile when the man's features turned into agent Mulder's. Jarod had always found him attractive. 'Okay.', he thought, 'Let's go for special agent Fox Mulder.'

Jarod fully relaxed under Lyle's hands, pretending it was the handsome agent, but he couldn't help but tense when something cold and sticky probed between his asscheeks and he frowned when it entered him without hurting. Lyle gave a little laugh. "Come on, Jarod, it's only my finger. With a bit of stretching it'll be more fun for you."

Jarod closed his eyes and let Lyle have his way, again pretending it was Mulder. Mulder thrust slowly with three coated fingers into his ass and Jarod thought it wasn't that bad. The sensitive nerves of his opening even reacted well to the stimulation. When Lyle entered him this time it didn't hurt that much and Jarod was comfortable enough to resume his fantasy, picturing Mulder going in and out of him, making his hips move onto the pillow and inducing a rub against his cock. And Jarod, to his own surprise, felt his cock stiffen until he was really turned on.

Lyle stopped his moves and Jarod tensed. He knew the other man hadn't come yet. Lyle slid his hand between the pillow and Jarod's hips and met his hard cock.

"You're hard!", he said in disbelief.

"Not my fault.", Jarod panted. "I can't help it."

Lyle thrust slowly into Jarod and the pretender moaned, half pretending - half aroused. His cock twitched in Lyle's hand and the other man closed his fist around the hard shaft, pumping on it. This time, when Jarod closed his eyes again and wanted to pretend he was being fucked by Mulder, he couldn't, Lyle's face superimposed itself onto Jarod's mental image of Mulder. Lyle thrust again, this time moving differently and Jarod felt the other man's cock hitting a very sensitive spot inside of him, sending shivers of pleasure throughout his whole body.

"Lyle!", he exclaimed.

"My, it seems we like that!", Lyle laughed.

He repeated the move again and again, his hand clasped on Jarod's hard cock, until the pretender was out of control, thrusting hard against Lyle, moaning, his fists clenched on the bedspread. Jarod couldn't pretend anymore he wasn't enjoying it. Lyle's repeated thrusts gave birth to wonderful sensations first in his balls, then throughout his whole body. Too soon Jarod felt Lyle come deep inside of him, spurting jets of hot sperm into his tight channel before withdrawing. Jarod rolled onto his back and instinctively wanted to give himself a handjob, but Lyle stopped him, parting the other man's thighs and kneeling between them. His hands were clasped on Jarod's wrists and the pretender wriggled, trying to reach release. His cock was oozing precum but he lacked the final stimulation that would send him into the edge.

"Jarod, you have to learn to be more patient.", Lyle said quietly. "Keep your hands above your head."

Jarod bit his lip and obeyed. He was almost out of control. He'd always thought that he wasn't very sensuous. He'd enjoyed his rare bouts of lovemaking with women, but for him sex was mostly quick handjobs he gave himself under the sheets before sliding into a deep sleep. Now he was discovering what physical need meant. He would have done
whatever Lyle wanted to gain release as his cock twitched against his stomach, every nerve of his body tense with desire.

He wrapped his fists around the iron shaft of the bedstead, breathing deeply in a vain attempt to calm himself. His hard shaft wasn't cooperative and Lyle's hot body between his open legs didn't help him. Lyle ran a finger against his cock and Jarod let out a moan of agony. Lyle ran a second finger over his throbbing organ and more precum drooled onto Jarod's stomach. Lyle smiled and pushed one finger into Jarod's tight channel, hitting his prostate. Jarod's hips automatically bucked to meet the other man's hand as he added two other fingers, thrusting slowly. Jarod thought his body was about to break but Lyle gently fondled his balls and eased the pressure.

He thrust deeper, at the same time wrapping his fist around Jarod's member, and pumped only once before Jarod came so hard he cried aloud, shooting semen all over his chest, as his body was shaken by the most wonderful orgasm he had ever experienced, lasting and lasting, until he was drained dry.

"You see," Lyle said while reattaching his clothes, "when you're cooperative, it's so much better."

Jarod didn't answer. He was lost in a haze. It was true that the fuck had been good. More than that, Jarod had learned more about Lyle that the man was probably aware. He remembered having read how a woman could become powerful when she reigned over a man's senses. It was perhaps a solution. 'After all,', he thought, 'I was born to pretend. Pretending I'm falling in love with him will only be another simulation, that's all.'

Deep inside him, a little voice asked if the orgasm he had just been given wasn't partly the reason for that decision. Jarod shrugged the little voice off.

*=*=*=*=*

When Lyle entered his room that evening, Jarod was ready. He was lazily sprawled across his bed, clad in the black pants and tee shirt Lyle had given him, his arms crossed behind his head. Lyle came to the end of the bed, waiting. Jarod got up slowly, stretching, and looked at Lyle. The ritual had always been the same for a week. Jarod stripping out of his clothes and lying down on the bed - Lyle kneeling behind him before fucking him good and hard.

But tonight was different. Before the man had a chance to speak one word, Jarod came just in front of him and knelt down in a flowing move, then rubbed his face against Lyle's crotch.

He didn't say a word, just made sure he drove the man to arousal. Lyle stayed silent, too, but his breath rate accelerated. 'It works!', Jarod thought with excitement. He resumed his rubbing until he felt Lyle's cock twitch under the suit pant's fabric.

"What the Hell do you think you're doing?", Lyle eventually growled.

Jarod rubbed the tip of his nose against Lyle's groin, whispering in a low voice, "Come on, Lyle, don't tell me you never thought about this." He put his hand on Lyle's fly, waiting for some encouragement.

Lyle leaned against the wall and ordered in a hoarse voice, "Suck me!"

Jarod hid a smile. He had almost won. He opened Lyle's fly and freed the other man's hard cock. He hoped now he wasn't going to gasp in revulsion. He had never done this before and he hoped his abilities as a pretender weren't going to leave him now.

He ran a tentative tongue down the length of the shaft, eliciting a new moan from Lyle. At least, he thought randomly, Lyle smelled good - a mix of spicy skin, soap and fresh perfume. He licked a path from the tip of Lyle's cock to its root, then continued to his balls, gently fondling them, taking them in his mouth, rolling the heavy sack between his lips. His fingers replaced his tongue and Jarod focused on Lyle's member, licking the tip, sucking on it as if it was a lollypop.

Lyle gave out a clear moan and bucked his hips against Jarod's face. "Suck me!", he repeated in a less firm voice.

Jarod ran his lips down the entire length before engulfing it in his mouth, relaxing his throat muscles, swallowing it whole while his tongue was working hard. His hands weren't inactive either, teasing Lyle's balls, rolling them in his fingers.

He felt Lyle's hands on his cheeks and he understood the man wanted control. He didn't protest, letting Lyle fuck his face. Lyle's body shivered and his cock went thicker as he came hard in Jarod's mouth. The pretender swallowed the hot seed, surprised by its salty taste - not so disagreeable, and didn't release his grip until he felt Lyle was drained dry. He let Lyle's cock leave his mouth, resting his head against the lower part of Lyle's stomach.

His left hand was busy stroking his own erection and Jarod moaned. He was running his favorite fantasy in his mind, and his cock was now engorged.

"Stop that!", Lyle ordered suddenly. Jarod slowly obeyed with a sigh of frustration. "You're hard!", Lyle commented in a surprised voice. "You're really a slut!"

"Yes.", Jarod whispered, still on his knees looking at Lyle, "And you like it!"

Lyle looked at him and had a half-smile on his face. "Get up!", he ordered.

Jarod obeyed. He was a bit taller than Lyle, perhaps just one inch, so he relaxed his body to avoid giving Lyle the feeling he was dominating him. He put his head on Lyle's shoulder, whispering very low, "Make love to me, Lyle. Make me really yours." He was rubbing his hips against Lyle's, and he felt the other man harden again.

"Strip!", Lyle said, removing his own clothes quickly.

Jarod obeyed, and soon they were facing each other, naked, their erections beating against their flat and muscled stomachs. Lyle pushed Jarod down onto the bed, and lay down on him, hugging him. Soon his hands were running over the pretender's body and Jarod moaned, his own fingers finding their path down Lyle's muscled frame, but soon the other man stopped him.

"I'm too close.", he whispered and Jarod smiled when he saw Lyle's engorged cock, hard as if he hadn't just had an orgasm minutes ago.

He pushed Jarod onto his back and began an assault on his nipples, worrying them between his lips, gently biting them until they turned into hard buds. Jarod moaned. He'd never thought this part of his body could be so sensitive and responsive. He relaxed under Lyle's clever mouth while the younger man's hand was teasing Jarod's leaking cock. Jarod moaned again, fire running through his veins and whispered, "I can't stand any more, ove. Fuck me now!"

Lyle sank his eyes into Jarod's and smiled. "Yes, love.", he said, brushing his lips against the pretender's. He seemed to enjoy the nickname. He made Jarod roll over onto his stomach and slid a pillow under his hips, parting his asscheeks. The single rub of the pillow's satiny material against his hard shaft almost sent Jarod over the edge. Lyle took the lube from the pocket of his jacket and coated his cock before entering Jarod more gently than usual, slower, while his right hand grabbed the other man's hard shaft. He thrust hard and deep, pumping Jarod's member, eliciting moans from the pretender.

"Do you want it, Jarod?", he asked in a panting voice.

"Fuck yes!", Jarod exclaimed, bucking his ass against Lyle to meet his thrusts. "Gimme more!"

Then they forgot that one of them was a prisoner and the other one his tormenter. They forgot they hated each other. They forgot they were mortal enemies. The only thing they knew at this time was that they wanted more. They were lost in their sexual race for pleasure and they had forgotten everything else.

Jarod forced his body to hold on, again and again. He wanted Lyle to come first and finally he felt Lyle's cock going into spasms in his ass and a hot jet fountaining inside him. Jarod came in turn, splashing Lyle's hand with his seed, crying in pleasure, moaning his lover's name. Lyle withdrew and collapsed on his back, panting. Jarod closed his eyes and totally relaxed his body, pretending exhaustion from too much pleasure.

"Jarod?", Lyle asked. "Still alive?"

Jarod moaned and opened one eye. "You killed me.", he said. He took Lyle's hand in his and kissed it. "I like when you kill me.", he continued.

Lyle looked at him. "What happened to you, Jarod?"

Jarod sank his eyes into Lyle's. "I know when I'm defeated, Lyle. I'm tired of fighting you. And you made me discover things I never even suspected about myself."

"Such as?", Lyle asked.

Jarod gave a little smile and kissed Lyle on the lips. "That making love with another man could be so great. Lyle, we have proof that we fit together."

"As I told you, Jarod, I'd like us to be friends. Come on, you weren't doing that great on the outside. Always going from town to town, never having a home, never having someone waiting for you at home, always hiding and running. Aren't you better here, with people who care about you? Jarod, if you choose to cooperate fully, you could become very rich. You could even rise to the top of the Centre."

"What do I have to do?"

"Well, it's like when you want to take religious orders.", Lyle joked. "There's a period of probation."

"I think I'm going to like that!", Jarod replied.

'I hope to God I won't enjoy it too much,' he added to himself.

*=*=*=*=*

Jarod and Lyle were playing basketball in the field beside the main road. Jarod, laughing and seeming to enjoy the game fully, was wondering why Lyle had chosen this field. Suddenly Lyle made a shot, and the ball went over the badket and fell outside.

"Shit!", Lyle swore.

"You're definitely not ready for the NBA!", Jarod mocked him.

Lyle was about to reply when his cell phone rang. He took it and threw a key to Jarod. "Go get the ball!"

Jarod laughed, but when he walked to the door, he understood the trap. He had the key to open the door. Outside was freedom. If Jarod hadn't known that the bangle contained that needle, he would have run. The whole thing was a test.

Jarod wondered how much more he'd be able to pretend. He was performing more and more simulations and each time he wondered how many innocents were going to be killed because of them. At least Lyle seemed to be more into financial hacking than life or death simulations. In fact, the danger wasn't in simulations, but in Lyle himself. Sometimes, Jarod almost found him likable, and sometimes he just forgot what Lyle had done to him, since the younger man could be considerate and gentle towards him.

Jarod was now living in a comfortable studio. He had access to all the books and television he wanted and even to the Internet, even if he knew that all of his surfing and email was watched over by the Centre. Of course that didn't mean he didn't feel deprived of his freedom, but at least it was much better than he had expected.

And then there was Lyle himself. Since the beginning, Jarod knew he was on dangerous ground. He had to pretend he was enjoying Lyle's lovemaking, but now he wondered if he was still pretending. When he wanted to, Lyle could be a very caring and imaginative lover and Jarod was discovering a new world of sensuality and pleasure he had never imagined could exist. He was becoming addicted to sex and to Lyle. And it scared him.

Shrugging off these depressing thoughts, Jarod opened the door and walked quietly over to the ball which had landed close to the main road. He picked up the ball and returned inside dribbling. Then he closed the door and handed the key back to Lyle.

"Let me show you what a real pro can do!", he joked,pretending not have noticed Lyle's penetrating gaze. He scored a basket and noticed that Lyle was still watching him. "What?"

"Jarod, didn't you notice that you could've escaped?" Lyle asked. "You opened the door yourself, but you came back!"

"Lyle, didn't it occur to you that it isn't your bangle, even with all its tracking pointers that prevents me from escaping if I'd want to?", Jarod laughed. "I don't want to escape, Lyle. I already told you that." He grabbed Lyle by the collar of his T-shirt and brushed his lips against Lyle's.

Lyle hesitated a bit then responded to the kiss, but soon pulled away. "I'd like to continue, but I've to go. Your last simulation was so appreciated by our customers that they want more."

"I'm going to ask for a holiday.", Jarod joked.

*=*=*=*=*

Jarod stretched out and relaxed on the grass, half asleep. It had been three weeks since he'd told Lyle he would agree to do simulations and now the other man trusted him enough to let him go about the Centre and even the park anytime he wanted. Of course the bangle was still clasped around his wrist and nervous guards made sure he wasn't walking too close to the wall. But Jarod wasn't ready yet to escape. He was working on the bangle and beginning to have a pretty good idea of how to neutralize it. Sydney had
told him that he had managed to contact his father and Jarod knew that his freedom was very close, so he wasn't fool enough to try something as stupid as running away now.

He saw Sydney and waved to him, waiting for the other man to come and sit next to him.

"It's on for Saturday evening.", Sydney said.

Jarod didn't move a muscle.

"I have what you wanted for the bangle," the older man resumed," but there could be a problem."

"What kind of problem?"

"Lyle. He's leaving the Centre for three days. He wants you to perform a three days simulation while he's gone."

Jarod muttered a few words that weren't in the good-manners dictionary. "I can do something about that.", he whispered.

"How are you feeling?", Sydney asked with concern.

"I'll survive.", Jarod replied. But the bitter sigh that had escaped from his lips told another story. Sydney patted his shoulder, encouraging him to talk and Jarod whispered, "He's taking control of me. I can't help it, Sydney. Sex has never been my strong point."

"You told me he didn't hurt you anymore.", Sydney recalled.

"I'd prefer that he did.", Jarod muttered.

He sighed again and confided in Sydney. He was always embarrassed about speaking of his intimate life to the older man but he felt as if he was losing control over his own body. Despite his hate for Lyle, he was enjoying the evenings they spent together and the wonderful times Lyle spent fucking him. Jarod was discovering a whole new world of pleasure and he was aware he was becoming addicted to it.

"He's so different now.", Jarod concluded. "I could almost find him likable. That's what scares me. Sometimes I forget what he did to me."

"You don't need to be worried.", Sydney said. "It's like the first time you discovered ice cream. You told me you ate entire cartons of it until you were almost sick. Then you discovered something else and you forgot your obsession for ice
cream."

Jarod burst into laugher at the comparison. "What should I do about Lyle?"

"Make him believe you're really fond of him - addicted - whatever you want, and ask him to continue letting you have these walks."

*=*=*=*=*

They had made love and Jarod was lazily sprawled across the bed, his head on Lyle's shoulder, when Lyle chewed on his lower lip and gave him a boyish smile. "Jarod, do you like camping?"

The question unsettled the pretender who babbled, "Er, yes, I like it, why?"

Lyle sat up on the bed and explained, "I'm going to leave the Centre for a long week-end. I'm going on a four day camping trip."

"I'll miss you.", Jarod said, kissing his lover's neck.

Lyle looked at him with another of his cryptic smiles and added, "Perhaps you could go with me. I thought first you could do a sim while I was away, but now I'd like you to go with me."

Jarod's heart missed a beat at all the possibilities that were opened up with that single sentence. He kept his face straight and remarked, "I'd like that!"

Lyle sank his eyes deep into Jarod's and Jarod tried to keep them as innocent looking as possible. "Of course," he added, "you'll wear that bangle. Do you know its secret?"

"Er, it's full of microprocessors that track me," Jarod said.

"Nope. Not only that."

And Lyle told Jarod about the needle and the sedatives. "I'll wear its twin bangle. If more than 150 feet away from me, the needle will pierce you and the Centre will be advised. If my pulse, or yours stops the Centre will be advised. There's no way out. Do you understand what this means?"

"That you care for me and want to keep me with you.", Jarod replied with a smile. "I understand, Lyle. I don't want to escape. I was thinking of how it would be making love under the stars."

"Jarod,", Lyle laughed, "you're turning into a sex maniac!"

Jarod stretched and snuggled against Lyle. "To enjoy having sex with one's lover isn't a sin, Lyle."

*=*=*=*=*

"Good job!", Sydney whispered as Jarod was packing a few things. "Lyle is convinced you've fallen in love with him. He thinks that you're subconsciously happy to be trapped again, away from the responsibilities of your own life. He trusts you."

Jarod smiled. "I think you're part of the reason he believes that."

Sydney nodded, then added, "I told your father about Lyle."

Jarod nearly jumped at the older man's back. "What?", he hissed. "You..."

"Jarod!" Sydney's tone was cold as stone. "Control yourself! I told him that because I had no choice. When I told him you were about to go camping with Lyle, he didn't understand. I didn't tell him about the assault, I only said that you noticed Lyle was attracted to you and used it to gain more freedom. He understood, Jarod. He's not a schoolboy. When it's war time, the most important thing is survival."

But Jarod wasn't comfortable with the knowledge that his father knew about him and Lyle. He made a sudden start when he realized his father would be staying close to them before the action of the escape. What if Lyle kept up his habit of groping him every five minutes... and what if he wanted to fuck him?

*=*=*=*=*=

This thought kept Jarod in a state of nerves when he and Lyle headed to Lyle's jeep. The leader of the Centre's guards had checked the bangles twice, nervous about the idea of letting Jarod leave these walls.

"They think you're going to made an attempt to escape.", Lyle smiled as he started the engine.

"You know that's not true.", Jarod replied, stretching his arm out to stroke Lyle's neck. "Did anyone ever tell you how sexy you look in that shirt and jeans?"

"Thank you.", Lyle smiled, seeming touched by the compliment. He had given up his usual elegant suits for faded jeans and a dark red and white plaid shirt. Jarod was wearing the same thing, except for the fact that his shirt was a white and black plaid.

"You look good, too.", he said. Jarod smiled at him and quickly stroked the other man's hair, trying to conceal his excitement. Soon he would be free. Soon Lyle would be his prisoner. Soon he would have his revenge.

*=*=*=*=*=*=

Lyle's firm and soft mouth on his neck felt good indeed, and Jarod would have relaxed if he hadn't thought his father was probably just behind a nearby tree. They were deep in the woods, in a little glade where they had put up their tent and lit a fire. Lyle hadn't yet made his last phone call to the Centre and it had been decided that they'd wait until that was done. Afterwards, Jarod would have eight hours to get away.

"Lyle..." Jarod began, kissing his lover's cheek. "Why don't you call the Centre now? Then we'll be undisturbed when we make love... long and hard."

"Later, lover.", Lyle answered. "I have to call at midnight and it's only eleven thirty. Stand up."

Jarod frowned but obeyed, rising to his feet. Lyle stayed on his knees in front of him and brushed his nose against Jarod's denim covered crotch.

"Lyle!", Jarod exclaimed, surprised. 'Oh God, please, make my father be late!'

His cock was twitching under Lyle's expert ministrations and when the younger man opened his fly, Jarod was rock hard. His cock sprung free and Lyle took ahold of it, licking at the tip that was already oozing precum. Jarod gasped at the sensation of a wet, hot tongue on his shaft. He had never experienced this before and he wanted more. Lyle sucked on the tip, making little noises that aroused Jarod beyond imagination, and then he engulfed it whole in one quick movement, driving Jarod crazy. He had to lean against Lyle to keep his balance. His hands grabbed the other man's shoulders while the pleasure grew in him. Suddenly, he lost control and put his hands on either side of Lyle's face, forcing him to adopt a quicker method as Jarod's balls tightened against the base of his cock before he exploded in orgasm, shooting his seed into Lyle's throat with a growl of
pure animal pleasure.

Lyle freed himself and laughed. "My, I like when you lose control!", he said.

Jarod sank on his knees, panting and in a move that surprised him, covered Lyle's mouth with his, tasting himself on the other man's lips, kissing his mortal enemy as if there were no tomorrow. Lyle pushed him onto the ground and covered Jarod's body with his, breaking the kiss.

"It seems you enjoyed that!", he laughed with a kind grin.

Jarod smiled back. "Yes I did. Why... why did you do that?"

"Because I love you."

Lyle's voice was calm and gentle, but an earthquake could have taken place Jarod wouldn't even have noticed, he was so surprised.

"I know you're surprised,", Lyle resumed with a smile, but it's true. I truly love you, Jarod. I know I probably haven't proved it to you in the best way. I know I've hurt you badly and I'm sorry for that. But love is so new for me that it scared me at first."

Lyle rolled onto his back and motioned to Jarod to snuggle against him. The pretender obeyed, part of his mind looking at his watch, part of his mind wanting enough time to hear what Lyle had to say.

"Tell me," he whispered.

Lyle breathed deeply. "I never fallen in love with a man before. Never, believe me. It's my first time. That's why I'm upset. It came over me like a storm and I reacted badly. I wanted to break you. I was mad at you because you made me feel vulnerable. That's why I... I forced myself on you the first time. I thought it was only about desire. I was wrong. I wanted you to love me back."

Jarod chewed on his lower lip. "When did it start? I mean, when did you realize for the first time you that were in love with me?"

Lyle gave a little laugh and stroked Jarod's hair. "You're not going to believe me. The very first time was when I captured you. You were dressed all in black, with a firearm. You looked so virile, so male and so handsome. I wanted to kneel at your side and kiss you deeply. Believe me, I was rock hard and I now wonder how I managed to get back to the Centre without anybody noticing!"

"Had you ever done this before?", Jarod asked, intrigued. "I mean, I thought you liked women."

"It's a bit more complicated than that.", Lyle sighed. "I've known I was bi since I was sixteen. But I always thought sex with men would stay just sex, and that love was something I could only feel for a woman."

Lyle had had his first experience with another man under the high school's showers. He was still a "good guy" at that time, and had helped a younger student to avoid some trouble with a teacher. The boy told him he wanted to thank him in a special way and before Lyle knew what was happening, he sank down on his knees to blow him. For Lyle, it had been a revelation. After that, he had learned about gay bars where he could find easy sex with faceless partners. He had never wanted to involve himself in a true relationship with another man. His education had taught him that gay things were dirty and somehow he had come to believe it.

"When I saw that I was falling for you, I panicked.", Lyle concluded. "But now I know that I can handle it. I can face my own feelings without fear. I love you, Jarod, and I hope one day you'll love me." Jarod didn't answer and Lyle sighed, then continued, "Jarod, may I ask you a question?"

"If you want to know if I'd had sex with a man before you, you already know the answer.", Jarod answered. "You were the first."

"I know that, and that's why I wanted to ask you... ", Lyle began with unusual solemnity, "...if some day you'll forgive me for that first time? Truly, Jarod?"

*=*=*=*=*=

Jarod wasn't given time to answer because Lyle's cellphone rang. Lyle sighed and answered, telling the Centre that everthing was fine. While he was speaking, Jarod nuzzled his neck. Now he had to be ready. He caught a movement in the trees just in front of them and realized that his father was here. When Lyle hung up, Jarod took the cellphone from him and put it away, then pushed Lyle to the ground.

"I'm going to make you forget that boy under the shower!", he exclaimed.

"I'd like that.", Lyle smiled, believing it to be a game.

"So you're going to like this, too!", Jarod smiled back, pinning Lyle's body down with his own, grabbing his wrists and pinning his hands above his head. "Now!"

Lyle frowned, and suddenly Major Charles was kneeling at his head, putting a cloth with ether on it over his mouth and nose. Lyle wriggled and struggled as the drug began to enter his breathing system.

"Only a little drug, lover.", Jarod said with a mischievous grin. "The game is over and you lost."

Lyle's eyes blinked a few times and he fell asleep. Jarod waited one more minute before removing the handkerchief. He helped his father bind Lyle's hands and stood up. Both men faced each other and Jarod was reassured by the smile of his father's face. They hugged in silence.

"It's good to see you again, son.", Major Charles told him. "Now let's take care of this bastard. Sydney gave me the hardware to free you, but I don't have the final materials. We'll only have it tomorrow morning."

Jarod nodded. He lifted Lyle over his shoulders while his father was picking up his bag and they hurried to the truck.

"I rented a cabin near the next town.", Major Charles explained. "It'll be quiet there."

"Where's the kid?", Jarod asked.

"I left him with a couple of my friends.", his father replied. "I don't want him to be involved in this too much."

Jarod nodded his agreement with this. He glanced at Lyle's body on the back seat.

"What do you have planned for him?", Major Charles asked.

Jarod sighed. "Damned if I know! Last time I had the opportunity of killing him, I couldn't. I can't kill people in cold blood. But that was before... before all this."

His father didn't reply. Jarod decided there would be time to decide in the morning.

*=*=*=*=

They drove a little, muddy road and stopped in front of a modest cabin lost into the woods.

"Here we are.", Major Charles said. "Isolated with no neighbors for five miles... perfect."

Lyle was awake but still under the effects of the drug and he looked a bit sleepy.

"Come on, Lyle!", Jarod said, grabbing him by the arm. He made him walk to the cabin.

"There's a hook near the fire place!", Major Charles said. "Chain him to it."

Jarod did so, using the kind of restraints police use on convicts while transporting them. A leather belt circled Lyle's waist and there were two chains. One went to his neck which was encircled with a leather collar. The other led to his handcuffed hands. Jarod made him sit on the stone floor.

"You'll be fine here.", he said with a mocking smile. "Be happy I'm leaving you your clothes."

"I never knew you were so into kinky toys.", Lyle replied in an ironic tone, showing his chains.

Jarod didn't reply, but his cock suddenly stiffened in his pants.

Jarod used the hardware his father had brought to study the bangle. "I see.", he finally said, raising his head. "I know how to neutralize the bangle. We're going to plug it into a computer that will reproduce mine and Lyle's heartbeat and it'll be fine. When will your friend arrive?"

"At six tomorrow. We'll meet in town.", Major Charles answered with a discreet yawn. "I don't know about you, but I'm exhausted. Do you need me to look after him?", he asked Jarod, heading towards Lyle.

"No, I'll do it. Anyway, he's chained. He can't do a lot of damage."

"Don't trust him."

"I don't.", Jarod answered. "Go get some rest, Dad."

Jarod went for a short walk around the house, breathing deeply of the fresh and cold night air. He'd be very happy about being free again, if something wasn't worrying him. Lyle. His words were still imprinted on Jarod's mind. 'Because I love you.' When Lyle had spoken that way, he'd had no reason to lie.

Jarod sighed and hurried back into the cabin, looking for the man who filled his thoughts. Lyle had lain down on the hard floor and was trying to get some sleep, but his wriggling showed that he wasn't very comfortable. Jarod knelt beside him. The floor was hard and cool, and Lyle was shivering.

"Cold?" Jarod asked.

He undid the gag and Lyle sighed in relief. "Can I have at least a cover?" he asked.

"What are you ready to do for it?", Jarod asked, half serious, half teasing.

Lyle sighed again. "Drop it."

While he'd been a prisoner at the Centre, Jarod had thought about how good it would feel to be free with Lyle at his mercy. He had spent hours picturing himself fucking Lyle hard and deep, making the other man scream in pain, breaking him until Lyle was only a rag doll. Now that he had the opportunity to do so, Jarod wasn't sure that it was what he really wanted.

He unlocked the chain that kept Lyle chained to the wall and made him get up on his feet, heading him towards his bedroom. Lyle neither protested nor tried to resist. Jarod faced him, his mind full of doubts. The open bed was an invitation. He wanted both to hit Lyle and to make love to him.

Suddenly, he punched him hard right in the stomach and without a sound Lyle bent over in two. Jarod, blinded with rage, hit him in the back, then again in the stomach, until Lyle fell on his knees, trying to catch his breath back.

"Do you still love me, Lyle honey?", Jarod asked with scorn.

Lyle raised his eyes and looked at Jarod. "Yes I do.", he said simply.

Jarod was unsettled by his answer. He pushed Lyle onto the bed and in silent rage he undressed him, removing the chains whenever he needed to, leaving the other man clad only in his boxers, both of his hands bound above his head with a chain secured to the bedpost. He hadn't intended to scare Lyle but he saw fear in his eyes, even if the other man tried to keep his face impassive.

"Now I'm the one in charge!", Jarod said. "That was my only thought every minute I was at the Centre, that kept me alive while I endured you fucking me!"

"You seemed to enjoy it.", Lyle replied quietly.

"Do you think I enjoyed myself the first time?", Jarod spat.

"I already told you why I acted like I did.", Lyle explained.

"Do you really think that that excuses your behavior?" Jarod burst into rage.

"No, Jarod. If you think that hurting me will make you feel better, do so.", Lyle answered in the same quiet tone.

Jarod thought about that. He pictured himself taking advantage of Lyle...and he rejected the image. He just couldn't do it.

"Tell me, Jarod, are going to kill me tomorrow morning, once the bangles are removed?", Lyle asked in a light tone, as if he was asking for the breakfast menu. Jarod wasn't fooled. Lyle was afraid, and for some reasons he couldn't explain, he didn't like it.

"No.", he replied simply. "I'll let you go away. I'm not a killer, Lyle." He brushed his fingers on Lyle's stomach. "Hurt?"

"It's alright, Jarod.", Lyle said. "I've known worse."

Jarod hesitated. He knew what he really wanted. He would have liked to kiss Lyle senseless and then make love to him. He bent over Lyle and brushed his lips against the younger man's, waiting for his reaction. Lyle looked at him with a half-smile.

"Do you want us to resume what we began earlier?", he proposed.

Jarod swallowed. He would have liked to do so. His cock was aching in his jeans, but he rejected the idea. He would never make love to a bound man and he wasn't stupid enough to free Lyle's hands. "No.", he replied in a hoarse voice. "Sleep."

Lyle seemed both disappointed and relieved and he rolled onto his side without comment. He was asleep for a long time while Jarod was still awake.

*=*=*=*=*=

The next morning.

Jarod held his breath as he connected both bangles to the computer. When nothing happened, he sighed in relief.

"It works.", Major Charles whispered. "Now the phone call." He pointed his gun at Lyle. "You know what to say. One wrong word and you're dead."

Lyle nodded and took his cellphone, dialling the Centre's phone number. He frowned. "It's not working.", he said.

"Don't play around with me, Lyle.", Jarod growled.

"Okay you little genius. Do it yourself!", Lyle said, handing him the phone. "It rings, but nobody answers."

Jarod took the phone and dialled the number again. He frowned. "He's right. Nobody's answering."

"I don't like this.", Major Charles said with concern. "What are we going to do?"

"We're leaving.", Jarod decided. "As soon as possible. Lyle, I'm sorry I can't keep my word. You're coming with us as a hostage." Jarod suddenly tensed and raised his head.

"What?", Major Charles asked.

Before Jarod had a chance to answer, the door banged open and a woman entered, holding a gun she pointed straight at Lyle. Jarod hadn't had a chance to get out his own gun.

"Don't move, Mr Lyle!", she said. "I don't want to hurt anyone."

Jarod's jaw dropped open when he saw the woman. She was in her fifties, at least. She was tall and slim, with dark hair and beautiful blue eyes. She looked like an older version of Miss Parker. The resemblance to Miss Parker was so startling that Jarod felt unsettled for a while.

Major Charles frowned and asked the woman, "Who are you?"

"My name is Catherine Parker.", the woman replied.

*=*=*=*=*

Lyle stood up and looked at her. "You're a liar. Catherine Parker has been dead for fifteen years!"

"It seems to me that I'm quite alive.", she said with irony. "Stay where you are."

"Is everything alright, Catherine?", a man asked, entering the cabin in turn. It was Sydney. The woman nodded and Jarod looked at his mentor.

"I think I deserve an explanation.", Jarod said with irony. "Who is she? And why are you here?"

"She's really Catherine Parker.", Sydney confirmed. "Catherine, lower your gun. You could hurt someone."

Catherine Parker obeyed, but not without warning Lyle. "Try anything against any one of us and you're a dead man. I saw what you did to Jarod these last few weeks. How you treated him. You really are a worm! The worst bastard I've ever seen. It would be a pleasure to shoot you to death."

Lyle turned pale but when Jarod opened his mouth to tell Catherine Parker who Lyle really was, Lyle stopped him. "Don't!", he whispered. "It's no use."

Sydney looked at them but didn't comment.

"You're free.", Catherine Parker told Jarod. "You can come back with me to the Centre or you can leave. It's up to you."

"Would you tell us how you managed to survive?", Jarod asked. "I was there when you were shot... if it wasn't a simulation, of course."

"I was shot.", Catherine Parker confirmed. "I survived, but I suffered amnesia. I only recovered my memories a year ago when I saw my daughter on TV, after her boyfriend was murdered. I contacted Sydney. I knew he was the only one I could still trust. He helped me to infiltrate the Triumvirate."

"How?", Jarod asked.

"During the years when I couldn't remember my true identity, I built an enterprise."

"Hardaway Industries.", Sydney told them.

Jarod gave an appreciating nod. Hardaway Industries was a big and powerful group. No wonder the Triumvirate had accepted its owner into their ranks.

"Now,", Sydney resumed, "Catherine IS the Triumvirate. She played a dangerous game and won. The Centre is about to realize a new birth. Raines and a large number of the directors are still under arrest. Catherine had made a clean sweep."

"The only one left is you.", Catherine Parker told Lyle. "You are, of course under arrest, too. Since I don't mind having the Centre closed for an investigation, the others have been sent to Africa, where they're going to spend part of their lives taking care of all the harm they caused. Major Charles, handcuff him! We're going back to the Centre."

Major Charles obeyed and Jarod, having thought about his many possibilities, decided to follow Catherine Parker as well. He trusted her.

*=*=*=*=*

The Centre

Lyle was thrown into a cell, the one where Major Charles had been kept prisoner a few weeks ago. He didn't protest.

"I'll stay with him for a few more minutes.", Jarod told Catherine Parker. "I'd like to talk with him."

The woman had nodded and left them alone.

"Why don't you want to tell her she's your mother?", Jarod asked him immediately.

"Who cares?", Lyle asked, sitting down on the floor. His wrists were still handcuffed. "Her very first words to me were despising and hateful ones. I don't want her pity. Ask my sister to shut up, too. I don't need her help."

"You may end up in jail for awhile.", Jarod warned him.

"So I'll end up in jail.", Lyle responded. "Jarod, I haven't had my last word. Don't worry about me. I've gone through worse."

Jarod shook his head in disbelief. Lyle was more stubborn than he thought. "As you wish.", he said before leaving.

*=*=*=*=*=*

Lyle was half asleep when Sydney entered his cell holding a little plastic box. Lyle sat up on the concrete floor that served as his bed. It had been nearly three weeks, if he hadn't lost count of the days. He wasn't really sure. He hadn't seen anyone since the day he'd been thrown into the cell. His meals were given to him by the slot in the middle of the door and he gave the empty tray back the same way. Nobody had come to visit him or even to interrogate him. Apart from meals, the world could have ended and he wouldn't have known.

Lyle knew he couldn't take it any longer. He'd thought he'd be interrogated and would be able to find a way to exchange his freedom for valuable information, but now he had his doubts. They didn't want to know. They already knew everything and they didn't need him. He was now convinced he was going to end up in a jail - probably in Africa - for the rest of his life and for the very first time in his life, he thought of suicide. But he disregarded that thought. His will was still strong. He would find a way out, whatever it might be.

He understood now what Jarod must have felt when he was trapped in the cage, naked and hopeless. Now Lyle was really sorry for that, and feeling really guilty. He wished he could tell Jarod how much he regretted it. He wished he could go back in time and relive the events that had followed Jarod's capture by the Centre. He would have acted very differently if he had known. He thought about all he had done since he'd been an adult, and felt overburdened by his behavior. Catherine Parker was right. He was indeed a worm.

Sydney knelt at his side. Lyle didn't even have a blanket and he was constantly cold during the night.

"You're shivering.", Sydney noticed. "Want a blanket?"

Lyle didn't reply. He didn't want to ask for anything and what's more, he couldn't. He had noticed that after two weeks without speaking a word, when he tried to speak aloud when alone, he hadn't been able to do so. He was mute.

"I'm only here to take a blood sample.", Sydney said.

Lyle obediently gave him his arm. Sydney took the blood sample and left him, but soon came back with a blanket. Lyle was already lying down on the floor, snuggled against the wall, trying to find some warmth. He didn't move when Sydney put the blanket over him then asked, "Want anything, Lyle?"

Lyle shook his head, refusing any help. He didn't have a lot now, but he still had his pride. He wasn't going to beg for more comfort, for information. As he had told Jarod, he wasn't going to use family ties to earn his freedom. He could survive on his own. He would have liked to refuse the blanket but he had to admit that the delightful warmth it gave him was too good to be rejected. He wrapped it around him the best he could and then fell into a deep sleep.

Lyle wondered what the two guards wanted when they entered his cell the next morning and motioned to him to follow them. They handcuffed him and he followed without questions. He knew the guards. They had worked for him before and he wouldn't humiliate himself by asking them questions. He tensed a bit when they arrived at the medical part of the Centre. They entered a bedroom and the guards left him. A cradle occupied the main space and its occupant was crying. Beside the crib were Miss Parker, Sydney, Catherine Parker, and Jarod.

"Come here, Lyle.", Catherine Parker ordered. "Brigitte gave birth to this baby.", she said, showing him the little body wriggling in the cradle. "She told us you were the father and the DNA test confirmed that fact. So here is your son."

Lyle didn't react.

Sydney said, "That's why I needed the blood sample. Lyle, Brigitte was very weak. She died, unfortunately. But your son is in good health."

Lyle lowered his head, swallowing. He hadn't been in love with Brigitte, but he had liked her. He motioned to the baby, and Sydney smiled, "You can pick him up if you want."

Jarod picked up the baby and handed him to Lyle, who took him in his arms the best he could with his chains. He kissed the baby's forehead.

"Brigitte told us she wanted him to be named Jamie - James.", Catherine Parker said.

Lyle still didn't react. He was too overwhelmed by the little baby in his arms to tell the others he couldn't speak. In fact he didn't care that he couldn't speak. He wanted to stroke the baby's face but his chained hands prevented him from doing so. Catherine Parker suddenly called the guards who entered the room.

"Free him!", she ordered.

Jarod took the baby into his arms while the guards removed Lyle's chains, then gave the baby back to Lyle. He wrapped his arm around Lyle's shoulders and led him to the couch where they both sat down.

"Lyle.", Sydney said. "Talk to us. It's useless to keep yourself wrapped in silence."

Lyle looked at him and pointed to his throat, then shook his head.

"You can't talk?", Sydney asked with concern.

Lyle nodded.

"Oh God!", the psychiatrist sighed.

"You can talk to me.", Jarod said. "I can read your lips."

Lyle nodded and articulated a sentence. Jarod looked upset and translated it to Catherine Parker, "He begs you not to take revenge on the baby. He says you can do whatever you want to to him, but he begs you not to harm the baby."

Everyone looked at Lyle. He looked back at them and they could see that the man's pride wasn't dead. He was ready to admit his faults and keep his chin up.

Catherine Parker, her voice strangled with emotion, whispered, "I never intended to take revenge on your son, Lyle."

Lyle said something else and Jarod frowned at him and said, "Why do you want me to take care of him for you? Don't you want to raise your son yourself?"

"Prisons aren't really good for a baby's health.", Lyle answered, kissing the baby's forehead.

Jarod translated the answer and sudden emotion swept through the room.

Suddenly Miss Parker gave a sigh of exasperation and exclaimed, "Okay, you stop that! I know Lyle isn't a saint, but he doesn't deserve that! You're not going to stay in jail, Lyle. I told our mother the whole truth."

*=*=*=*=*

When her mother had reappeared back from the dead, Miss Parker had been completely transformed. The slow work of rehumanization that had begun while she had mourned for Thomas was now finally achieved by her mother's return. Miss Parker had reacted violently when Jarod told her Lyle didn't want their mother to know about their blood ties.

"He's my twin brother!", she had shouted. "He's a worm, but he's my brother!"

She had told her mother about Lyle and Catherine Parker had been distraught at the news. She had wanted to free her son - to talk to him - to be forgiven for her harsh words, but Jarod had objected.

"When I had your son in my power," he had explained, "I didn't take revenge on him. I had thought about performing the kind of assault he did to me on him, but I decided against it. Violence isn't the answer. We all know that Lyle isn't the best person in the world. I think he should learn a lesson. We have the opportunity to help him. I think that a few weeks in a cell would be good for him. He will learn first hand what it is to be trapped and without hope."

Catherine Parker wasn't pleased by this solution, but she recognized that Jarod's idea wasn't without merit. They had agreed on three weeks of isolation for Lyle, hoping he would learn enough to change.

*=*=*=*=

Catherine Parker asked her daughter and Jarod to leave them and now she was facing Lyle as Sydney sat down beside her, arms crossed, his face cryptic as usual.

"Our relationship didn't start out well and I'd like to change that.", she began. "I didn't show a lot of motherlove towards you. But as Jarod and your sister have told you, we did it for your own good. And I think that Jarod somehow deserved to decide on your punishment for what you did to him."

"I regret what I did to Jarod.", Lyle whispered in a hoarse voice. Sydney had given him something for his throat and he could now speak although his voice was husky. "I'd like to know what you have in store for me?"

Catherine Parker took a deep breath. "I'll be frank with you. If you weren't my son, you would have been sent to Africa. But I can't do that now. I just can't. The Centre needs administrators. You know all its inner workings, so you could be very useful here. Of course, now its goals have changed."

"You're working for the good of mankind.", Lyle smiled without irony. "I read that in a letter you sent to the Triumvirate about the clone."

His mother smiled back. "It's presumptuous I know, but that's how I convinced Jarod to stay with us, along with Sydney."

"And you want me, too?"

"I'd like that. But you're free. You can leave if you want. Or you can stay."

"And my son?", Lyle asked in a nervous voice.

"If you stay, you'll raise him. If you leave, I first want proof that you'll live honestly before giving you my grandson.", Catherine Parker announced in a firm voice.

Lyle stayed silent for a while, his eyes lost in the baby's. "I can be a good administrator.", he said. "And my son will need his whole family around him." He didn't speak of Jarod, but his mother knew the pretender was part of his decision.

"Speaking of family,", Catherine Parker sighed, fiddling with her jacket's top button, "I've something else to tell you."

"About my father, I guess.", Lyle answered. "What happened to him?"

Catherine Parker's face turned harsh. "Parker's in Africa, with Raines and others like him. What he did is inexcusable. Are you really worried about him?"

Lyle shook his head. "It's probably not a point in my favor, but I was never able to love him as I should have. If you think I'm a worm, he's worse than me."

"I know.", Catherine Parker replied. "Parker isn't your father."

Lyle's face turned pale and he seemed at a loss. "What?" he croaked.

"When I married Parker, I thought he was a great man. We shared ideals. I soon discovered his true personality and I stopped loving him. I had a brief affair with another man. You and your sister were born out of that affair." She paused.

"I don't know how to tell you gently, so just jump right in and tell you straight. Sydney is your father."

Lyle looked at the psychiatrist whose face didn't show any emotion. "I guess,", Lyle said in an ironic tone, "that when you discovered you were Nicholas' father, you were a lot happier."

"Why?", Sydney asked, seeming surprised.

"Oh, come one!", Lyle answered. "Nicholas is the good son, the kind fathers dream of. He takes care of widows and orphans! He doesn't kill people."

"Don't play the victim, Lyle!", Sydney replied. "The news was a shock for me. I have to admit it. But as with Nicholas, I'd like to build a true family relationship with you, if you want that, of course."

Lyle was unsettled. He had expected Sydney to reject him, not to offer him a truce. "I sent my last father to death row."

"Try me!", Sydney smiled.

Lyle smiled back and Catherine didn't miss their looks. She was relieved. The clash she had feared might happen, hadn't. Both men would learn to live together and perhaps even to appreciate each other.

*=*=*=*=*

They had let him go back to his apartment but Lyle wasn't comfortable there any more. He went from one room to another, noticing that his private things had been checked and his computer used. He sighed, pacing up and down like a caged animal. When he looked at the objects decorating his apartment, he felt nauseous. He had never believed in bad vibrations but now he had his doubts. He finally picked up his cell phone and dialled a few numbers. At least he still had his money and when he looked at his mutilated hand, he thought he had paid the price in blood for it and had the right to keep it.

Later that evening he had a new apartment, with new furnishings. He had only kept a few things - clothes, books and computers - and had left all the rest. One of the new rooms was empty. Lyle thought a cradle would fit in it perfectly. He stretched and became aware that he was hungry. He had the feeling he'd been a prisoner for years. Freedom seemed foreign to him. He made fun of himself when he realized how a single hot shower with fine soap could feel after the icy showers in his cell. He was about to order a pizza when the doorbell rang. Lyle opened the door. Jarod stood in front of him.

"I thought you'd like some Chinese food.", Jarod said, handing him a paper bag full of food.

"Better than pizza.", Lyle agreed, letting him in.

Jarod put the bag in the kitchen, then faced Lyle. Both men looked at each other and then, without a single word, sank into an embrace.

"I missed you!", Jarod whispered. "Still in love with me?"

"Jarod!", Lyle protested. "Why do you make me repeat it over and over again? Of course I love you."

Jarod smiled and brushed his lips against Lyle's. They had never really kissed before and Jarod wanted their first time to be slow and good. He kissed Lyle's lips then licked them slowly. Lyle parted his, and the pretender didn't miss the invitation to enter this moist cavern. He slowly explored Lyle's mouth, tasting the other man for the first time. Lyle stroked Jarod's neck, sucking hard on his tongue. Jarod's cock twitched in his pants and felt Lyle's member respond in turn.

Without breaking the kiss, they left a trail of their clothes on the floor from the kitchen to the bedroom. Jarod pushed Lyle down onto the bed, lying down on top of him, trapping the other man's body beneath his. Jarod's mouth explored Lyle's neck, discovering a few interesting spots behind Lyle's ear that made the other man moan with desire. His hands explored the other man's body hungrily, teasing his lover's nipples, stroking his stomach, brushing his fingertips against Lyle's engorged cock.

"You're killing me.", Lyle moaned.

"I can stop if you want.", Jarod teased him.

They laughed, knowing that neither of them could stop. Their desire was much too urgent to let them stop now. Lyle's cock was already leaking precum and Jarod was ready to come right now. He breathed deeply and pushed Lyle onto his back. Without saying a word, they knew that this time Jarod would be the top. Lyle wanted it as much as Jarod did. The pretender grabbed the lube Lyle handed to him with a mischievous smile and coated his throbbing cock.

"Do you want me to prepare you?", Jarod asked suddenly. "I don't want to hurt you."

"I'm not a virgin, Jarod.", Lyle answered softly. "I'm hot and ready."

He relaxed on the bed, parting his legs, inviting Jarod. The pretender was a bit unsure of himself since since it was his first time and he positioned himself a bit hesitantly before pushing his cock into Lyle's puckered opening. He felt his lover tense and immediately stopped. But Lyle smiled at him.

"It's a good pain, lover,". he whispered.

Jarod continued entering him, marvelling at the wonderful sensation filling him. He waited for Lyle to become accustomed to him, then thrust in slowly, hitting his lover's prostate for the first time. Lyle moaned from the pleasure of it and Jarod bent over him, taking his lips in a deep kiss, as his right hand wrapped around his lover's pulsing cock. Jarod thrust slowly and deeply at first before speeding up his rhythm as the feeling of pleasure grew throughout his body. Lyle's moans increased and for Jarod it was the most arousing sound he had ever heard. He felt his balls tightening against the base of his cock and he came hard, shooting his load deep into Lyle with a cry of pleasure. The single feeling of that hot fountaining inside of him made Lyle come in turn in powerful jets of semen until he was drained dry, his body exhausted by the overwhelming pleasure of it all.

Jarod collapsed on top of his lover, panting. "It's better when I'm the top.", he whispered.

"Don't even think about it!", Lyle responded in the same teasing tone. "We'll take turns."

"Do you have a calendar around here?" Jarod joked, rolling over onto his back.

*=*=*=*=*

It was nearly midnight when they finally reheated the food in the microwave. They were both clad in bathrobes and seated on the bed.

"Do you know how hard it was to find your new address?" Jarod asked, between two mouthfuls. "Why did you leave?"

"I wasn't trying to escape. It didn't feel right in my old apartment.", Lyle explained. "I needed a change."

"You should have phoned. Your mother was worrying and Sydney kept Broots in front of his computer until he finds out your new address."

"And nobody thought of calling me on my cellphone?"

"You shut it off, you idiot!", Jarod replied.

"True.", Lyle acknowledged. "I wanted peace and quiet."

"Thanks."

"I'm not talking about you, you idiot!", Lyle replied.

"I love you.", Jarod said suddenly.

There was a long silence then Lyle asked, "No pretending?"

"No more pretending.", Jarod answered. "Never again. I'm myself now and forever. I love you, Lyle."

He took his lover's hand and gently raised it to his lips, kissing the palm. Lyle leaned towards him and gave him a deep kiss.

Jarod had waited and endured, but during the three weeks he had spent at the Centre while Lyle was locked in his cell, he had had the time to think about his own feelings towards Lyle. Of course the other man had hurt him the worst way he could, but after the first shocking episode, he had been so caring - so loving with him that Jarod had often forgot that he hated him. He was the first one to be surprised. When Sydney had told him earlier in the evening that Lyle had disappeared, Jarod's heart had missed a beat. When Broots gave him Lyle's new address, Jarod had finally understood that he was deeply in love with Lyle and he had decided that he should tell him so. They had both wasted so much time and opportunity in their lives because of their pasts that Jarod felt the urge to act now.

Lyle relaxed against Jarod, pillowing his head against his lover's chest. They were lying comfortably between the sheets, Lyle in Jarod's arms. He was deeply happy and the sensation was new to him. He was almost afraid to think about the future. He thought about his son. Jarod would be a wonderful second father for the baby. Lyle decided he would give up his dark past to give his son the best chance to become a nice guy.

"A penny for your thoughts.", Jarod whispered, half asleep.

"I don't have the slightest idea how to bottle-feed.", Lyle said seriously.

"I'll bottle-feed. You'll change his diapers.", Jarod replied.

"We'll take turns."

THE END