Jarod

Jarod's mind doesn't work like most people's. When he dreams, it is in sharp, reoccuring memories, occasionally spliced with other memories. He doesn't dream. He remembers, painfully. He is used to waking up with his head pounding and the memories coursing through him like a simulation gone wrong.

And eyes. He dreams of the eyes of the people he was responsible for killing. He believes that's just part of the simulation, too.

Tonight, he dreams. He opens his eyes and sees the Barge, empty and open as though it were nighttime and everyone was asleep. He sees a light on at the end of a darkened hallway. He sees it as though it were yesterday.

But it's not like any memory. It's different. He steps towards the light. Footsteps ring out somewhere around him.

"Who's there?" he calls.

[here, have a video. It's a smiling, pleasant-looking man in his mid thirties. He has the calm air of someone who has practiced saying this into the camera a few times.]

Hello, everyone. My name is Jarod DiCaprio, and I've recently taken post on board this ship along with a few new wardens. I'll begin serving on board staring just about---[he looks at his watch]---now. That's a good time to start, I think.

I look forward to meeting everyone, and I hope to hear from you soon.

User Name/Nick: MJ
User LJ: electric_girl
AIM/IM: rickmaniac101
E-mail: naughtygirlslikepolka AT gmail DOT com
Other Characters: None

Character Name: Jarod
Series: The Pretender
Age: 35
From When?: Mid S4

Inmate/Warden: Warden
Item: A red spiral-bound notebook

Abilities/Powers: Although physically Jarod is a normal human, he has the genetic code to be a Pretender; a being with superior empathic abilities. Through concentration, he can simulate the emotional state of anyone he comes in contact with, making them easier to predict and easier to understand. He is also a genius, with the ability to "read a book on heart surgery in the morning and perform a flawless triple bypass by the afternoon". With this in mind, he has been a nuclear engineer, doctor, physicist, NASCAR driver, as well as dozens and dozens of other specialized occupations. He can speak dozens of languages, learn new ones in a matter of hours, and fire a variety of guns.

Due to Jarod's canonical abilities, he has the potential to be a very "broken" character. I will, therefore, create a permissions meme regarding his empathic abilities, and will contact the moderators when a situation appears where Jarod may need to learn a new "simulation". Any languages outside of his canonical languages, I will also seek mod approval before I have him speak them. To me, Jarod's abilities aren't the bulk of who he is, they're more for playing him correctly and creating interesting situations.

Personality: Jarod is a walking contradiction. He is both a genius and a complete social idiot. He is tough and clever, as well as soft and simple. Jarod's genius is unprecedented, and while he is utterly aware of his own intellect, he does not flaunt it around or see others' lack of as a downfall. He finds people, in general, to be fascinating, probably because of his extreme isolation throughout his life. When he first escaped the Centre, he looked on the world with a sort of wide-eyed innocence. Now, four years on, he's developed a hard shell against the cruelties of the world, though he still possesses some of his youthful naivete.

Jarod has a need to help out the weak and abused. He finds his abilities make him stronger than those around him, and the ones who are being hurt must, therefore, be taken care of. When out in the world, he would find stories of those being hurt and, presumably after empathically experiencing their pain, he would find them and their assailants. The darker side of Jarod is revealed once he finds the ones who did the horrible deeds, as he often gives them a cruel, psychologically damaging taste of their own medicine. He shows no remorse for his actions.

There is very little Jarod won't do for information about his family. He knows how to become a warden and how to empathize with his inmate, so he feels as though this would, in the end, be a mutually beneficial arrangement. Finding Miss Parker as an inmate here will overtly complicate everything. Miss Parker is a very strong presence from his past and he will not be able to watch her be hurt or harmed in any way (except by Jarod in the form of teasing and generally trolling). Should she come into harm's way, he may attempt to escape and bring her with him. The lives of the people he cares about are more important than his desperate search for who he is.

Path to Redemption: N/A

History: In 1963, Jarod was taken by the Centre from his parents, Major Charles, and his mother Margaret. Jarod was informed during his time at the Centre that his parents died in a car crash and, at the time, this information was acceptable. His innate Pretender abilities made him invaluable to the simulation experiments done by the Centre, usually for government contracting. While there, he found a father figure in Sydney, the psychologist who ran his experiments, and a friendship with the young Miss Parker (unaware that Miss Parker's mother, Catherine, was trying to save Jarod from a life in the Centre). Jarod was witness to the aftermath of the death of Catherine Parker, a mystery he has since been deeply invested in solving.

Years of isolation within the Centre followed during which Jarod became very attached to Sydney, but longed for the outside world. He would leave Sydney clues within his rooms at the centre as to what he would do when he escaped. Before escaping, he left an angel with its wings bent in order to express the Greek God of retribution, which is what Jarod intended to become.

In 1996, Jarod escaped the Centre and went on the run. While a genius, his social skills were well beyond unrefined, and it was only through his interactions with others that he was able to learn how to interact in society. Even now, four years later, he still has difficulties with some social situations, many pop references, and "normal" behavior. He has discovered ice cream, oreos, skydiving, and has fallen in love since his escape, but the basics of human nature still elude him. He takes every opportunity to go out and discover new things about life. He also focuses on helping the weak and mistreated, often by cruelly offering up the "punishment fits the crimes" to those who hurt them, a violent twist on his sweet, unassuming nature that correlates to his time in the Centre.

Once out, Jarod discovered that his blood type did not match that of his parents and discovered that his mother and sister were out in the world somewhere. His goal has been to reunite with his family, though his efforts have often been thwarted by the Centre in an effort to reacquire him. He has also focused on discovering the secrets of Miss Parker's past and the death of her mother, going so far as to set her up with Tommy in an effort to bring her some happiness. After Tom's death in 1999, he tried to help her discover the identity of his assassin.

In 1999, Jarod was recaptured by Mr. Lyle and the Centre, though he did manage to escape before the plane transferring him to Africa left the country. He is aware now, as he travels the country hoping to help others, of how close the Centre can be and how much more ruthless they've become. He's also aware now of how expendable he is now.

Sample Journal Entry:

>>Sydney

I don't have the simulation disks here and even if I did, I doubt they would help.

It's the ship, Sydney. The ship is...it's alive. It has to be alive. Fear and desperation for an answer seem to override my sense of logic in this case. Too many things that defy logic have already happened. Too many strange, terrible things.

I'm afraid, Sydney.

Sample RP:

Sugar was an incredibly restorative substance. By increasing the body's output of energy, the body was naturally inclined to repair and react faster. Jarod would know, of course, since he did a long and thorough study of sugar during simulation 27 in 1967. The results of this experiment caused twenty-eight soldiers to lose their lives to due malnutrition in the Gulf of Mexico. But very little good came from the simulations Jarod did for the Centre. All the good came from Jarod in the real world, taking the skills Sydney taught him and using them for the good of others.

And of himself, since he'd come to learn the benefits of keeping a high-concentrated sugar around. Pez, in his case.

The carbohydrates in sugar also improved stamina (excellent for bullriders), improved vision (made the whole sharpshooting job that much easier), and helped with cardiovascular functions (he couldn't have made that 7.5 K run in New York without it). It also helped with concentration, and right now, Jarod was hard at work concentrating, staring at a single dot he'd drawn on the wall with marker. If he focused on it, the rest of the wall seemed to shift and change, the visual cortex in his eye moving to the thing it was focusing on.

Just like this world, he decided. The people on the Barge shifted depending on what they focused on. Was it because they didn't want to focus? Or was it something else?

He stared for another moment and popped the pig-shaped pez dispenser open. Another bite of sugar, something to keep him focused.


Special Notes:

He wants to say it's because he likes tormenting her.

It works, of course. He can hear that irritation in her voice when she knows he's close enough to hear but not close enough to catch. He can hear her high heels tap irritably on the hardwood floor and he can feel her frustration boiling under his skin He likes that, it makes his lips twitch up in the slightest of smirks. But, really, that's not the reason.

He wants to say it's because he can know what she's doing.

After all, she is the one chasing him and he's the one being chased. The smart prey knows where the lioness is hunting. He can hear the sounds of Laos behind her and he knows she's half a planet in the wrong place. He knows the room she's standing in, he can feel the grease from the cookery below her as it stings her legs. It's good to know where she is, and his fists relax slightly when he knows he's safe. But, really, that's not the reason.

He wants to say it's because he's feeling nostalgic.

Oh, there's nostalgia every time he hears her voice. He feels like he's a child again, holding his hand out against the glass in order to feel the hand of the girl who calls herself Miss Parker. He remembers more when he calls her, he feels like his simulation exercises are stronger, clearer. He can feel his mind open up when he hears her voice. But, really, that's not the reason.

The reason is that it's late where he is.

The sun is coming up over Laos. He knows how the hot, sticky sun feels against Miss Parker's skin and he can hear her groan just a little bit as it blares through the blinds and into her eyes. But in Seattle, it's dark and it's time for him to sleep. It's time for him to sleep, so he calls Miss Parker.

Really, deep down, that's the only reason he's called. Logically, it doesn't make sense. So, he chalks it up to one of the three reasons, finishes his call, and lays down on the motel cot. He sleeps better when he hears her voice, and he knows it has nothing to do with the fact that she's so far away.

But even a genius can't quite figure it out.