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Authors note: SORRY for the wait, so very sorry. Thanks for all the feedback we have gotten for this. Also this has a warning for implied rape, though nothing is actually really said or done.
“Sir?" Grace asked hesitantly.
“What girl?" Marcus asked patiently. He wasn’t sure if she was ready to be a handler yet, but he would give her a chance if she played her cards right. She had proved herself today.
“I am a project Sir. I do not know how to look after another project full time. Not to mention, I don’t know how he works. I don’t know how much help I would be.” She said quietly, looking at the ground, waiting for her reprimand for contradicting him asking if she could do it for him.
He nodded, pleased with her honesty. It could not have been easy for her to admit that. “I understand Grace, you would not be working alone. This might be your opportunity to further prove your value to us, if you work hard that is, and learn from others."
“Yes Sir, I always like to please you. I am just worried I might screw this up if you offer me such a big opportunity and I do not want to displease you Sir. Jarod is very important, and maybe you should put someone that is qualified to handle him Sir." She knew how important Jarod was, but she was also very scared if she were made a part of the team she would ruin it. She was only a project after all.
“You won’t screw up Grace, and don’t you worry, I know how important Jarod is, and we will be assigning a team to his maintenance. But if you do not want to be part of that team, tell me now."
Jarod was silently fuming as they planned his 'maintenance' as if he were some kind of performance car that needed specialist care.
“No Sir. I would love to stay with Jarod. Help you with him Sir. I’m just scared I will do something wrong with him Sir.” She said, glancing up at him.
“We all make mistakes girl, but don’t worry, if you do, we will correct them, and you won’t make them again.” He smiled at her again, a cold calculating smile. Mistakes did happen, after all it was natural, but not too many ever made the same one twice after corrective measures had been implemented.
Grace shrunk into herself and took a step back. “Yes Sir.” She whispered, knowing the price if she did screw up with Jarod, but also knew how he was talking, he was most likely going to put her on the team anyway.
“Good,” He said, looking her up and down. If she was going to be a primary with Jarod, then she was going to have to learn to be a little more assertive now. She had proved herself, now it was time to move her up in the food chain. “Take him down to his new room, and see he is settled in, make sure he is fed and watered. I will introduce him to the rest of the team this afternoon, once we are all fully set up."
“Yes Sir, of course Sir.” She nodded, she wanted to ask him about what she would do now, and her boys. If she would be going back to her old room, but didn’t want to now after he had given an order.
"Very good.” He turned to Jarod. “You are not happy about this I see." It was not a question, but a statement. Everything about the man's posture screamed he hated this situation that he now found himself in. Marcus preferred if his projects were happy, within reason. A happy project was a productive one. An unhappy project required much higher maintenance and a decidedly higher cost ratio. More staff and was generally bad for moral all the way around. But he knew Jarod would need time to adjust, accept his new position in life. In time he would behave, but for now, Marcus expected nothing but trouble from him, and judging by the scowl on his face, he wasn’t going to be disappointed.
“And they say I am the genius," Jarod drawled at him.
Marcus put his hand up to stop Grace's words.
Gracie gasped at his rudeness. She bit down on her lip at her boss' signal and ducked her head, praying Jarod didn’t get them into to much trouble. Her boss had been happy when she spoke with him on the phone, and wanted to keep it that way.
“It's alright Miss Gracie, Jarod does not yet understand our ways. But he will learn soon enough, or pay the price if he does not. Look around Jarod, this is your new home. It can be as pleasant as we can possibly make it for you... Or as unpleasant, if you choose."
Jarod took a deep breath and stared at him, saying nothing. This was not his home, it never would be, and he would never accept it. They could bribe him with treats and privileges, but he would not sell his soul to them, not for a mattress and a light switch.
Gracie looked at her boss, “Sir, before we go, may I please have permission to ask a few questions?" She asked nervously.
It seemed Jarod had nothing to say, and that suited him just fine. He could see the resentment in his eyes, but he would not be able to hold out forever, and if he became too troublesome, they would simply harvest his DNA and then sell him back to the Centre. "Of course,” He nodded his head to her.
“Thank you Sir.” She smiled at him a little “What will happen now, to my team and I? Will I get to go back to my old room? Or new quarters? Do I get to see my little sister?” She asked, the last question more of a plea. She couldn’t survive here if she knew how close she were to her sister, yet not be allowed to see her.
“We will see about that later. If you are moved to the Jarod project, then if you like, you may choose your sweepers, or keep the ones you have if you prefer. Your room assignment will be different, most likely a supervisor’s room, with your new position will come new privileges. And as for your sister, you may go to her after you have escorted Jarod down to his new room. You will be free to fill in your time as you see fit until the meeting, which will be scheduled for 4pm in the main conference room."
Gracie smiled broadly. “Yes Sir, thank you Sir. And if it pleases you Sir, I will join the team and do my very best for you Sir." Grace promised with a huge smile on her face.
“I expect nothing less."
“Yes of course Sir.” She said as she turned to Jarod, “Come along now Jarod, I will take you to your room and get you something to eat and drink."
Jarod looked at him one more time and then to Grace, not at all sure how he felt about her now. Her fear was so obvious, yet she was very prepared to use him, regardless of the consequences, to climb up the corporate ladder. In many respects she reminded him of Lyle. Yet when he thought about her little sister, he felt guilty for such thoughts. He took a step towards her, knowing that if he didn’t, she would call in the others who would be more than happy to 'help' him.
She smiled at him when he moved towards her and took his arm tightly, more for show and led him out, Wil and Jon following. When they were out of sight of the office, she loosened her grip. “I get to see my sister Jarod. I haven’t seen her in so long. And I miss her terribly." Anyone could tell how thrilled she was to be able to see her.
“I am happy for you,” He told her, and it was true as well. This whole situation was impossible and he still had no idea what he could possibly do about it. Listening to that pompous asshole prattling on, it began to sink in that it might be some considerable time before he would be able to do anything at all. But there was still hope, and he was determined to find a way out, maybe for all of them. He had to think of this as a big pretend, just a little more intense than most.
“I want you to meet her Jarod, see what you think of her, but I am not sure how Sir will like it. She is a beautiful girl, so well behaved and she cares a lot. They let her play nurse to a sick animal every now and again if she does well with her work." Bailey loved helping the sick animals. It was normally babies that had lost their mothers. She would nurse them back to health, keep them until they were big enough to be let go back into the wild.
Jarod was beginning to see the critical differences between the techniques used here and back at the Centre. These people were smart enough to realise that you had to give them something, anything to feed their souls, and guarantee their loyalty. That is where the Centre made their biggest mistake. Jarod had nothing to stay for. Nothing he felt like he was really giving away.
She rode the elevator to level 20, one of the lowest levels and led Jarod off, Wil and Jon being quiet and proper. Walked through the residence wing, she opened a door to one of the more high security, plain cells. “I am sorry it’s not a very good room. But Sir will want you to earn it."
Jarod looked around and sighed. Not so much as even a bed. It was so narrow he could touch both walls with his outstretched arms. He noticed the ubiquitous camera and not a single useable air vent. “Guess I have to work my way up to the more luxurious ones."
She nodded and sat on the ground. “I will try to get permission for a pillow and blanket for you. It’s not that cold here, but it will still be something for you,” She had never had to stay in a room like this, Grace couldn’t imagine sleeping on a ground this hard would be comfortable at all.
Jarod sat down next to her and half turned, wiggling his hands. “Any chance of taking these off?” His arms were aching and he guessed he had been cuffed in some form or other for more than 24 hours now.
“Yes of course.” She leant over and removed the cuffs, handing them to Jon. “Do you think it is a good thing I am a part of the team to look over you? I will probably screw up and that will get both of us into a lot of trouble." She was very worried about doing something wrong if she were involved with this project.
Jarod grimaced as he brought his arms forward to massage his wrists. He looked at her sadly. “I cannot do what they want, I will not allow myself or my work to be used again, I can’t do it."
She nodded, “Then they will just breed you and sell you back to the Centre, but not before trying to get you to work for them,"
“Then that is what will happen I guess,” He said heavily looking around the room. "But at least I am going to get fed and watered, it is nice to know they look after their animals around here,” He said bitterly.
"Jarod,” She snapped, “That is enough of this attitude. Do not be so rude. I know you don’t like what has happened, but that doesn’t mean you have to be so disrespectful."
“I am not being rude, just stating a fact,” He said gently, trying to show remorse. That man had talked about him as if he were stabling some kind of animal.
She turned to Wil, “Can you get someone to bring down some food and drink for him please? Once he has it, I can go.” She turned back to Jarod. “That may be so, but it was your tone of voice Jarod."
He looked at her dully. “Where are we? Somewhere in northern Australia? The desert I am guessing."
Gracie nodded, knowing there was no reason not to tell him. “We are in the middle of the northern territory. What is known as the red Centre, or the outback. And by the way, Gandi, is not Indian, as your statement about the accents made me think you believed it was. It is aboriginal, from the Wagiman tribe."
"Oh," Jarod said, bluffing a little at his faux pas. “What does it mean? Is it a local dialect?” He was very interested in learning about new cultures and languages. He knew practically nothing about the Australian aboriginal.
“To take.” She said, knowing Jarod would see why it was name Gandi, “And yes, it’s a local tribe. They are one of about 350 tribes with their own dialect nation wide, and they like to live a bit more traditionally unlike some others."
“Why am I not surprised?” He muttered under his breath.
“Manners Jarod.” She scolded him.
"How much worse can it possibly get?” He asked, wanting to know what he might be up against. Solitary in a cell so small it made his old one look huge was fairly harsh, nothing to sleep on, or relieve himself in.
“As bad as you want to make it Jarod. These people are far worse then the Centre, make the punishments and living conditions you had at the Centre seem like you were living in a palace, and I’m not exaggerating."
“What do you know about my 'living conditions' at the Centre?” He asked her, needing as much information as he could get.
“I saw some of the files in the Centre’s mainframes. We also retrieved your DSA's from the apartment last night while you were in the cell. I had a chance to watch some of them. Including the one were you disobeyed and they killed the man in front of you." Grace said more as a warning then anything.
Jarod closed his eyes, thinking about his DSA's and then Kenny. That was the day he had decided to leave, that was the day he fully realised that they had been lying to him. That was the day that changed everything in his entire life. He could no longer fool himself, or hide in his ignorance any longer. His heart still ached thinking of his friend Kenny sometimes, and he only hoped that something like that would never happen again. He was very different from the naïve man-child he had been then, had seen the best and worst that the world and mankind had to offer and there were just some things he would no longer tolerate. He should have known that she would find out about the DSA’s and there was little chance he would ever get them back again. If he ever got out of here, he had made copies, so it was not the end of the world, but he doubted he would be looking at them anytime soon.
Gracie looked up as the food was brought in. “Thank you.” She said to the sweeper and handed it to Jarod. “They have a tendency to do this.” She looked at the food. “It has become an inside joke for the new people. Local grub.” She handed the plate to Jarod with the witchetty grubs and assorted berries, there was cooked snake and a few beetles. Luckily the drink was only water.
Jarod looked at it suspiciously. “What the hell is it?” He asked, screwing his face up.
"Local grub.” She said again, stealing one of the worms looking things and eating it. “It is surprisingly nice Jarod, go ahead, try some." Grace urged him.
Jarod picked it up and looked at it. "High ratio of protein,” He said contemplatively. He had tried just about anything that was edible. He ate it and was quite surprised at how succulent it was. “Not bad at all."
She smiled, “See. They eat them a lot up here. The locals and aborigines have hunted for them for years and years. It’s almost like a delicacy, though they are nicer when they are alive. The beetles are specially gathered for their more fleshy bodies, and the shell gives it a nice crunch, and the snake, it’s like eating the best chicken of your life."
He skipped over the beetles and picked up the snake. “I had snake in the everglades, and it was very good."
“Yes I find them quite nice too. Most people don’t dare try them. You will find you will eat kangaroo and Emu a lot here. They are many around and cheap to use as a food supply."
“They eat their own national symbol?" Jarod asked in surprise. He knew little about this continent, never having had the need to research it before.
“It was the white people's decision to make those two the national symbol. Long before this land was settled, the natives use to hunt and eat them. They still do, and now, it is becoming more popular among every one else. Slowly but surely. They are very nice, and Emu meat and oil are extremely good for the body." Gracie said, stealing some of his beetles and munching on them. “Try some of the berries Jarod."
Jarod looked at them and then dismissed the idea that they would try to poison him. He popped a few in his mouth and looked at her in surprise. “These grow out here? In this heat? How does anything survive?"
“A lot of things survive Jarod, just as plants grow in the snow and in the water. Over time, plants and animals evolve to suit the landscape." Just because it was hot, didn’t mean it was barren.
"Just how far in this 'outback' are we?” He said munching on the berries. It was certainly an unusual meal, but he calculated that they had been in the air for at least 24 hours, perhaps as much as 27 and this was the first food he had received in all of that time. His arms were still sore and as the feeling started coming back, so did the throbbing of the gunshot wound.
"Far enough Jarod, you will have to eat everything on your plate, including the beetles, and I assure you, they are nice."
He had tried grasshoppers, so he supposed this wasn’t all that different. He popped one in his mouth and crunched on it, expecting it to be unpleasant and bitter, and was surprised yet again. He was curious to find out more about these aboriginals, and he wondered how much they had in common with the native Americans. “What happens if I don’t?” He asked, washing it down with some water. He was hungry enough now to make it a moot point, but it would be good to know for future reference.
“They will starve you for a week. And still expect you to work and do your normal routine. And because you are new, they will most likely punish you severely as well."
“And the regular food? What can I expect?"
“It will be similar to the food in the Centre, high in vitamins and minerals. But the cooks here take pleasure in preparing it. So not only will it be good for you, but will taste nice. And on good days you will have a meal like this. Or if you do something extremely good, maybe some roast, or a meal of your choosing."
Jarod wanted to say something sarcastic, but instead, finished off the meal, admitting to himself it had been pretty good, although nowhere near enough to satisfy him. “You had better get going then. I imagine your sister is waiting."
“Yes of course. And I know it is not much considering what you were forced to give up, but thank you Jarod."
He nodded at her and watched as she got up, hoping that things were well with her sister. “What is her name?"
"Bailey.” She smiled softly at him.
“That’s a pretty name."
“I got to choose it.” She said with pride. She had thought for days and days over the decision, and had finally come up with Bailey.
“It is nice, I like it."
She grinned happily, “Thank you. I will go see about those blankets for you.” She said as she took the plate and glass and gave it to Jon to take back to the kitchen. “We will see you soon Jarod.” She told him as she walked out with the boys, locking the door after her.
Jarod moved over to the corner under the camera and sat there, staring at the narrow space. It took him a few seconds to conclude that there was no way out. The locks were electronic, and activated from the outside, with not even a keypad of a plate hiding electronics for him to play with. The vents pumping in the air were far too small and the light was the diffused kind, behind what looked like sturdy perspex.
“I'll see you boys at the meeting.” She said, knowing they had things of their own right now to do. She moved back up to level one to Marcus' office and knocked on the door.
“Come,” He barked, not looking up.
Gracie walked in and stood submissively in front of his desk, “Sir, permission to ask a question?"
“What?” He said softly, putting his pen down. He wanted to encourage her to accept this new level of responsibility, knowing how difficult it would be for her at first, but she had huge potential.
“I was wondering Sir, if I may be allowed to give Jarod a blanket and pillow. I have placed him in one of the highest security rooms. He doesn’t even have a bed to be able to use to try and get out."
“And what has he done to deserve such things?” He asked her with a steady gaze.
“Nothing since he has been here. But if you give him something that he would be grateful for Sir, he may become used to being here quicker. This place is a good home, and I want him to realise this. I want him to love it here just as much as I do, not want to leave. And I can’t do that if he is stuck in a room where he can’t even have something to sleep on, or keep him warm.” She was scared at how condescending her voice was during some of her speech and looked at the ground, “I’m sorry Sir, I did not mean to be so disrespectful to you."
He laughed out loud at her. “You are ambitious aren’t you?"
She looked at him when he did not yell at her, “I want him to love this home as much as everyone here does. I do not want him thinking it is as bad as his last home. It isn’t. And I hate how rude he is. You do not deserver that kind of disrespect Sir, not ever."
“No I don’t, and I think I will make you personally responsible for that aspect of his training, seeing you seem to be so passionate about it. You have seen him, interacted with him, so right now I guess you are our resident expert, but I hope you are not naïve enough to think that a blanket and pillow will buy him that quickly."
“No of course not Sir. And I do not want to buy him, I just want to show him it is good here. I want him to want to work for you, earn you your money so you can make it better for everyone in this facility." But she just wanted to thank Jarod some how for being here. Now she could be with her sister, she was home.
Marcus nodded at her and wanted to see how good her instincts are. “You understand the restrictions that are necessarily placed on him until he earns his way up to the next level of trust? Just as you have earned your way up?"
“Yes of course Sir. He will have to earn even the basic privileges. But I just thought giving him a blanket and pillow might help him to see it’s not at all bad here."
"Very well then, do as you think is best, just be careful and mind you don’t inundate him with too many privileges he as not yet earnt.” He warned her.
“Yes Sir. And thank you.” She smiled gratefully, "One more thing Sir." She knew she was pushing her luck now.
“Yes?” He said patiently. He would probably need her on this project, if Jarod was as difficult as he suspected. He would need her skills and insights.
“May I take Bailey to meet Jarod?” She asked him, thinking he would say no. Bailey was his second pet project, only to her.
“No, not yet.” He said. "Remember Grace, too much too soon and you will spoil him. The only people he sees are the people on his team, that is all. Not until he is really a member of our family."
“Yes Sir,” She said in disappointment, “I wanted him to meet her for more my sake than his, but I understand." Gracie said, trying not to sulk.
“All in good time Grace. Everything in it’s own time, and it is all the more sweeter for the wait is it not?"
“Yes Sir.” She mumbled looking at the ground. All she wanted was for Jarod to meet her and was extremely disappointed she was not allowed to take Bailey to him. "But maybe Bailey could help a little just this once?” She tried again, knowing she was heading for a punishment. Three years away from home and her training had slipped a bit.
He looked at her dangerously.
Gracie shrunk into herself. “I’m sorry Sir, I just really want this.” She whispered. “I’m sorry.” She apologised again, “I will leave you now Sir."
He nodded at her and resumed his paperwork, making it clear that she was dismissed. He would give her what she wanted, after she had earnt it.
Gracie sighed softly and turned to leave sadly. As soon as the doors shut behind her, a man had grabbed her arm.
“So nice to see you are finally home Gracie. I have missed our little sessions. Please come to my office, we have some things to catch up on.” He said coldly, pushing her forward.
“Yes Mr Mathews.” She whispered, knowing what was about to happen and silently walked with him.
She left the office, tear stains on her face, holding her ribs. She made her way down to Jarod's cell, more than confused, and hurting badly. Walking in to see him in the corner, she looked at him. Her arm still wrapped protectively around her ribs, her face already bruised, her right eye almost swollen shut. Her lip split and still seeping a bit with blood.
Jarod was on his feet in an instant, moving towards her, hissing as he saw the damage. “What happened?” He asked gently, although he could guess the answer to that.
“I told Mr Mathews it was wrong. He shouldn’t touch me or anyone like you said. He didn’t think I was right.” She whispered, swaying a little. She didn’t understand how Jarod, a project knew it was wrong, but an owner didn’t.
Jarod closed his eyes and then looked at her again. He took his shirt off and gently started cleaning the blood away. “I am so sorry,” He whispered miserably.
Grace hissed and pulled back. “No reason to be sorry, I did wrong by Mr Mathews, I deserved the punishment.” She tried to soothe his guilt. It was coming off of him in waves, even someone more normal would feel it.
“I didn’t want... I didn’t mean to make trouble for you, I was trying to help,” He finished lamely.
She knew right this instant, if she had not told him she fabricated the DSA of Parker, she could have used this in her argument, that helping Parker was just hurting her. He tried to help Gracie and ended up hurting her too. “I know you were trying to help. And one thing you said while trying to convince me that you were wrong was right. This isn’t the real world here, we are different, we don’t have that right."
He had to accept the harsh reality of that truth, but it should not be that way.
She hissed at the pain as she slid down the wall, gripping her ribs tightly, “I got permission to give you a blanket and a pillow.” She told him, not looking anywhere but the floor. She knew she had been in the wrong. She was here to please others, and she had tried to deny one the owners his pleasure. She got what she deserved.
Jarod pulled her shirt up a little and looked at the bruise already blossoming. “May I check it? I will be as gentle as I can."
She nodded, "Please do not be gentle, I do not deserve it.” Grace told him. She needed to feel pain, so she would not forget and make the same mistake next time.
“Do you people have an infirmary in here?” He asked her as he prodded as gently as he could, checking for broken ribs, wanting to get his hands on the bastard that did this.
Gracie nodded slowly. “I was outside for too long. I let their rules get to me. I forgot my training Jarod.” She said sadly.
“I am very sorry,” He apologised again. “You should go and get this wrapped, and some ice for the bruising. And can you report him to your superior?"
She looked at Jarod as if he had just pulled a gun out of his arse. “And get myself into more trouble?"
He put his hands up in a gesture of surrender. “Sorry,” He muttered.
“They are the owners, they can do with me as they see fit. I have no right to argue with them, as you can see,” She gestured to her body. “And even if I did tell Mr Marcus, I don’t think he would really care.” She whispered. That had hurt to admit that. She was always trying to please her boss, and when she got beaten like this, she knew deep down he didn’t care.
Jarod was beginning to understand, only too well. “I am sorry,” He said one more time, not knowing what else there was to say. He looked at her sadly. "How was your sister?"
“I didn’t get to see her yet. I went start to Sir's office to ask for permission to give you your blanket and pillow. On the way out, Mr Mathews took me."
“Don’t get yourself into trouble for me, I don’t need any special favours, I will do just fine by myself.” He wondered who this Mathews character was.
“I did not get into trouble for asking Jarod. This is the only thing I am allowed to give you, the rest you will have to earn. I only got into trouble for trying to say no to Mr Mathews."
Jarod nodded again, trying to think of a way of explaining to her it was still wrong, but she was going to have to accept it. It made him sick to think somebody could hurt her so callously, or use her body without any consideration for her feelings.
"Jarod, they will come for you. You are their new toy, they will want to play with you like they just did to me. And I am afraid there is nothing I can do to stop it if they decided to do it."
“I don’t expect you to even try.” He told her gently as he looked at her sadly.
"But like I promised Jarod, I won’t touch you. Not ever. I just hope they don’t want me to breed with you if you do not work." She didn’t think she would mind breeding with this particular male, but she hated to think what it would do to her body.
Jarod looked at her in pure horror. When she had said about the breeding, he had assumed some kind of DNA manipulation, the harvesting of his semen to be artificially implanted, not actual 'breeding'.
She looked at him sadly, “I should get going.” She whispered, and tried to get to her feet.
Jarod helped her up. "Please be careful. I do not want you hurt or at risk on my account."
"Jarod again, this wasn’t your fault, it was mine for not remembering my place. Like you and the box. That was your fault for being disrespectful.” She said, grateful for the help to get to her feet. She slowly walked to the door. “I’ll bring the gifts down later."
"Just be careful,” He told her in worry.
She nodded and moved out. Before she went to the infirmary, she would ask Mr Marcus if it was ok for pain killers. For the third time within 2 hours, she knocked at the door. She didn’t want to hold her ribs, didn’t want to displease him anymore, but she couldn’t move her arm away, they hurt too much
“What?” He asked in exasperation. He was trying to get things organised for this afternoon, finding the right personnel, the right cell, the new room placements, the obstacles needed to be overcome, the assessments made.
Gracie walked in slowly and stood in front of his desk, head down. She had to also apologise to him for her bad behaviour, hoping not to get into more trouble.
He looked up at her. “What happened?"
“I displeased Mr Mathew Sir. I wanted to apologise. He wanted to have me, and I let something Jarod told me get in the way, I forgot my training Sir.” She apologised, not looking up from the ground she wasn’t sure if he knew about how the other owners took pleasure from her, and hoped he did, otherwise she was in a lot of shit when the others found out she had told him.
Marcus took a deep breath and took in her injuries, nothing life-threatening, but if might slow down her efficiency. “And you came to me because?"
“I wanted to apologise Sir, for my disrespect and lack of training towards one of your staff. I wanted to come to you for my punishment Sir, instead of letting you hear it from someone else and come to me.” She said in a sad voice, head lowered.
“Mr Mathew has punished you?” He asked slowly.
“He has beaten me Sir, but I am not sure if it was because he was annoyed with me, or it was my punishment Sir," Grace said truthfully, not wanting to get into any more trouble.
“Since he has not logged a complaint with me, I am assuming the matter is closed. Get down to the infirmary and have them attend you. I want you ready for the meeting this afternoon. And if I see your face in this office once more today before the meeting, you will be moving down to the cell next to Jarod.” He let her know the conversation was over by getting back to his work.
“Yes Sir,” She whispered as the tears fell down her cheeks. She was only trying to be a good project by saving him the hassle of running after her, and she was only screwing up more.
“What girl?" Marcus asked patiently. He wasn’t sure if she was ready to be a handler yet, but he would give her a chance if she played her cards right. She had proved herself today.
“I am a project Sir. I do not know how to look after another project full time. Not to mention, I don’t know how he works. I don’t know how much help I would be.” She said quietly, looking at the ground, waiting for her reprimand for contradicting him asking if she could do it for him.
He nodded, pleased with her honesty. It could not have been easy for her to admit that. “I understand Grace, you would not be working alone. This might be your opportunity to further prove your value to us, if you work hard that is, and learn from others."
“Yes Sir, I always like to please you. I am just worried I might screw this up if you offer me such a big opportunity and I do not want to displease you Sir. Jarod is very important, and maybe you should put someone that is qualified to handle him Sir." She knew how important Jarod was, but she was also very scared if she were made a part of the team she would ruin it. She was only a project after all.
“You won’t screw up Grace, and don’t you worry, I know how important Jarod is, and we will be assigning a team to his maintenance. But if you do not want to be part of that team, tell me now."
Jarod was silently fuming as they planned his 'maintenance' as if he were some kind of performance car that needed specialist care.
“No Sir. I would love to stay with Jarod. Help you with him Sir. I’m just scared I will do something wrong with him Sir.” She said, glancing up at him.
“We all make mistakes girl, but don’t worry, if you do, we will correct them, and you won’t make them again.” He smiled at her again, a cold calculating smile. Mistakes did happen, after all it was natural, but not too many ever made the same one twice after corrective measures had been implemented.
Grace shrunk into herself and took a step back. “Yes Sir.” She whispered, knowing the price if she did screw up with Jarod, but also knew how he was talking, he was most likely going to put her on the team anyway.
“Good,” He said, looking her up and down. If she was going to be a primary with Jarod, then she was going to have to learn to be a little more assertive now. She had proved herself, now it was time to move her up in the food chain. “Take him down to his new room, and see he is settled in, make sure he is fed and watered. I will introduce him to the rest of the team this afternoon, once we are all fully set up."
“Yes Sir, of course Sir.” She nodded, she wanted to ask him about what she would do now, and her boys. If she would be going back to her old room, but didn’t want to now after he had given an order.
"Very good.” He turned to Jarod. “You are not happy about this I see." It was not a question, but a statement. Everything about the man's posture screamed he hated this situation that he now found himself in. Marcus preferred if his projects were happy, within reason. A happy project was a productive one. An unhappy project required much higher maintenance and a decidedly higher cost ratio. More staff and was generally bad for moral all the way around. But he knew Jarod would need time to adjust, accept his new position in life. In time he would behave, but for now, Marcus expected nothing but trouble from him, and judging by the scowl on his face, he wasn’t going to be disappointed.
“And they say I am the genius," Jarod drawled at him.
Marcus put his hand up to stop Grace's words.
Gracie gasped at his rudeness. She bit down on her lip at her boss' signal and ducked her head, praying Jarod didn’t get them into to much trouble. Her boss had been happy when she spoke with him on the phone, and wanted to keep it that way.
“It's alright Miss Gracie, Jarod does not yet understand our ways. But he will learn soon enough, or pay the price if he does not. Look around Jarod, this is your new home. It can be as pleasant as we can possibly make it for you... Or as unpleasant, if you choose."
Jarod took a deep breath and stared at him, saying nothing. This was not his home, it never would be, and he would never accept it. They could bribe him with treats and privileges, but he would not sell his soul to them, not for a mattress and a light switch.
Gracie looked at her boss, “Sir, before we go, may I please have permission to ask a few questions?" She asked nervously.
It seemed Jarod had nothing to say, and that suited him just fine. He could see the resentment in his eyes, but he would not be able to hold out forever, and if he became too troublesome, they would simply harvest his DNA and then sell him back to the Centre. "Of course,” He nodded his head to her.
“Thank you Sir.” She smiled at him a little “What will happen now, to my team and I? Will I get to go back to my old room? Or new quarters? Do I get to see my little sister?” She asked, the last question more of a plea. She couldn’t survive here if she knew how close she were to her sister, yet not be allowed to see her.
“We will see about that later. If you are moved to the Jarod project, then if you like, you may choose your sweepers, or keep the ones you have if you prefer. Your room assignment will be different, most likely a supervisor’s room, with your new position will come new privileges. And as for your sister, you may go to her after you have escorted Jarod down to his new room. You will be free to fill in your time as you see fit until the meeting, which will be scheduled for 4pm in the main conference room."
Gracie smiled broadly. “Yes Sir, thank you Sir. And if it pleases you Sir, I will join the team and do my very best for you Sir." Grace promised with a huge smile on her face.
“I expect nothing less."
“Yes of course Sir.” She said as she turned to Jarod, “Come along now Jarod, I will take you to your room and get you something to eat and drink."
Jarod looked at him one more time and then to Grace, not at all sure how he felt about her now. Her fear was so obvious, yet she was very prepared to use him, regardless of the consequences, to climb up the corporate ladder. In many respects she reminded him of Lyle. Yet when he thought about her little sister, he felt guilty for such thoughts. He took a step towards her, knowing that if he didn’t, she would call in the others who would be more than happy to 'help' him.
She smiled at him when he moved towards her and took his arm tightly, more for show and led him out, Wil and Jon following. When they were out of sight of the office, she loosened her grip. “I get to see my sister Jarod. I haven’t seen her in so long. And I miss her terribly." Anyone could tell how thrilled she was to be able to see her.
“I am happy for you,” He told her, and it was true as well. This whole situation was impossible and he still had no idea what he could possibly do about it. Listening to that pompous asshole prattling on, it began to sink in that it might be some considerable time before he would be able to do anything at all. But there was still hope, and he was determined to find a way out, maybe for all of them. He had to think of this as a big pretend, just a little more intense than most.
“I want you to meet her Jarod, see what you think of her, but I am not sure how Sir will like it. She is a beautiful girl, so well behaved and she cares a lot. They let her play nurse to a sick animal every now and again if she does well with her work." Bailey loved helping the sick animals. It was normally babies that had lost their mothers. She would nurse them back to health, keep them until they were big enough to be let go back into the wild.
Jarod was beginning to see the critical differences between the techniques used here and back at the Centre. These people were smart enough to realise that you had to give them something, anything to feed their souls, and guarantee their loyalty. That is where the Centre made their biggest mistake. Jarod had nothing to stay for. Nothing he felt like he was really giving away.
She rode the elevator to level 20, one of the lowest levels and led Jarod off, Wil and Jon being quiet and proper. Walked through the residence wing, she opened a door to one of the more high security, plain cells. “I am sorry it’s not a very good room. But Sir will want you to earn it."
Jarod looked around and sighed. Not so much as even a bed. It was so narrow he could touch both walls with his outstretched arms. He noticed the ubiquitous camera and not a single useable air vent. “Guess I have to work my way up to the more luxurious ones."
She nodded and sat on the ground. “I will try to get permission for a pillow and blanket for you. It’s not that cold here, but it will still be something for you,” She had never had to stay in a room like this, Grace couldn’t imagine sleeping on a ground this hard would be comfortable at all.
Jarod sat down next to her and half turned, wiggling his hands. “Any chance of taking these off?” His arms were aching and he guessed he had been cuffed in some form or other for more than 24 hours now.
“Yes of course.” She leant over and removed the cuffs, handing them to Jon. “Do you think it is a good thing I am a part of the team to look over you? I will probably screw up and that will get both of us into a lot of trouble." She was very worried about doing something wrong if she were involved with this project.
Jarod grimaced as he brought his arms forward to massage his wrists. He looked at her sadly. “I cannot do what they want, I will not allow myself or my work to be used again, I can’t do it."
She nodded, “Then they will just breed you and sell you back to the Centre, but not before trying to get you to work for them,"
“Then that is what will happen I guess,” He said heavily looking around the room. "But at least I am going to get fed and watered, it is nice to know they look after their animals around here,” He said bitterly.
"Jarod,” She snapped, “That is enough of this attitude. Do not be so rude. I know you don’t like what has happened, but that doesn’t mean you have to be so disrespectful."
“I am not being rude, just stating a fact,” He said gently, trying to show remorse. That man had talked about him as if he were stabling some kind of animal.
She turned to Wil, “Can you get someone to bring down some food and drink for him please? Once he has it, I can go.” She turned back to Jarod. “That may be so, but it was your tone of voice Jarod."
He looked at her dully. “Where are we? Somewhere in northern Australia? The desert I am guessing."
Gracie nodded, knowing there was no reason not to tell him. “We are in the middle of the northern territory. What is known as the red Centre, or the outback. And by the way, Gandi, is not Indian, as your statement about the accents made me think you believed it was. It is aboriginal, from the Wagiman tribe."
"Oh," Jarod said, bluffing a little at his faux pas. “What does it mean? Is it a local dialect?” He was very interested in learning about new cultures and languages. He knew practically nothing about the Australian aboriginal.
“To take.” She said, knowing Jarod would see why it was name Gandi, “And yes, it’s a local tribe. They are one of about 350 tribes with their own dialect nation wide, and they like to live a bit more traditionally unlike some others."
“Why am I not surprised?” He muttered under his breath.
“Manners Jarod.” She scolded him.
"How much worse can it possibly get?” He asked, wanting to know what he might be up against. Solitary in a cell so small it made his old one look huge was fairly harsh, nothing to sleep on, or relieve himself in.
“As bad as you want to make it Jarod. These people are far worse then the Centre, make the punishments and living conditions you had at the Centre seem like you were living in a palace, and I’m not exaggerating."
“What do you know about my 'living conditions' at the Centre?” He asked her, needing as much information as he could get.
“I saw some of the files in the Centre’s mainframes. We also retrieved your DSA's from the apartment last night while you were in the cell. I had a chance to watch some of them. Including the one were you disobeyed and they killed the man in front of you." Grace said more as a warning then anything.
Jarod closed his eyes, thinking about his DSA's and then Kenny. That was the day he had decided to leave, that was the day he fully realised that they had been lying to him. That was the day that changed everything in his entire life. He could no longer fool himself, or hide in his ignorance any longer. His heart still ached thinking of his friend Kenny sometimes, and he only hoped that something like that would never happen again. He was very different from the naïve man-child he had been then, had seen the best and worst that the world and mankind had to offer and there were just some things he would no longer tolerate. He should have known that she would find out about the DSA’s and there was little chance he would ever get them back again. If he ever got out of here, he had made copies, so it was not the end of the world, but he doubted he would be looking at them anytime soon.
Gracie looked up as the food was brought in. “Thank you.” She said to the sweeper and handed it to Jarod. “They have a tendency to do this.” She looked at the food. “It has become an inside joke for the new people. Local grub.” She handed the plate to Jarod with the witchetty grubs and assorted berries, there was cooked snake and a few beetles. Luckily the drink was only water.
Jarod looked at it suspiciously. “What the hell is it?” He asked, screwing his face up.
"Local grub.” She said again, stealing one of the worms looking things and eating it. “It is surprisingly nice Jarod, go ahead, try some." Grace urged him.
Jarod picked it up and looked at it. "High ratio of protein,” He said contemplatively. He had tried just about anything that was edible. He ate it and was quite surprised at how succulent it was. “Not bad at all."
She smiled, “See. They eat them a lot up here. The locals and aborigines have hunted for them for years and years. It’s almost like a delicacy, though they are nicer when they are alive. The beetles are specially gathered for their more fleshy bodies, and the shell gives it a nice crunch, and the snake, it’s like eating the best chicken of your life."
He skipped over the beetles and picked up the snake. “I had snake in the everglades, and it was very good."
“Yes I find them quite nice too. Most people don’t dare try them. You will find you will eat kangaroo and Emu a lot here. They are many around and cheap to use as a food supply."
“They eat their own national symbol?" Jarod asked in surprise. He knew little about this continent, never having had the need to research it before.
“It was the white people's decision to make those two the national symbol. Long before this land was settled, the natives use to hunt and eat them. They still do, and now, it is becoming more popular among every one else. Slowly but surely. They are very nice, and Emu meat and oil are extremely good for the body." Gracie said, stealing some of his beetles and munching on them. “Try some of the berries Jarod."
Jarod looked at them and then dismissed the idea that they would try to poison him. He popped a few in his mouth and looked at her in surprise. “These grow out here? In this heat? How does anything survive?"
“A lot of things survive Jarod, just as plants grow in the snow and in the water. Over time, plants and animals evolve to suit the landscape." Just because it was hot, didn’t mean it was barren.
"Just how far in this 'outback' are we?” He said munching on the berries. It was certainly an unusual meal, but he calculated that they had been in the air for at least 24 hours, perhaps as much as 27 and this was the first food he had received in all of that time. His arms were still sore and as the feeling started coming back, so did the throbbing of the gunshot wound.
"Far enough Jarod, you will have to eat everything on your plate, including the beetles, and I assure you, they are nice."
He had tried grasshoppers, so he supposed this wasn’t all that different. He popped one in his mouth and crunched on it, expecting it to be unpleasant and bitter, and was surprised yet again. He was curious to find out more about these aboriginals, and he wondered how much they had in common with the native Americans. “What happens if I don’t?” He asked, washing it down with some water. He was hungry enough now to make it a moot point, but it would be good to know for future reference.
“They will starve you for a week. And still expect you to work and do your normal routine. And because you are new, they will most likely punish you severely as well."
“And the regular food? What can I expect?"
“It will be similar to the food in the Centre, high in vitamins and minerals. But the cooks here take pleasure in preparing it. So not only will it be good for you, but will taste nice. And on good days you will have a meal like this. Or if you do something extremely good, maybe some roast, or a meal of your choosing."
Jarod wanted to say something sarcastic, but instead, finished off the meal, admitting to himself it had been pretty good, although nowhere near enough to satisfy him. “You had better get going then. I imagine your sister is waiting."
“Yes of course. And I know it is not much considering what you were forced to give up, but thank you Jarod."
He nodded at her and watched as she got up, hoping that things were well with her sister. “What is her name?"
"Bailey.” She smiled softly at him.
“That’s a pretty name."
“I got to choose it.” She said with pride. She had thought for days and days over the decision, and had finally come up with Bailey.
“It is nice, I like it."
She grinned happily, “Thank you. I will go see about those blankets for you.” She said as she took the plate and glass and gave it to Jon to take back to the kitchen. “We will see you soon Jarod.” She told him as she walked out with the boys, locking the door after her.
Jarod moved over to the corner under the camera and sat there, staring at the narrow space. It took him a few seconds to conclude that there was no way out. The locks were electronic, and activated from the outside, with not even a keypad of a plate hiding electronics for him to play with. The vents pumping in the air were far too small and the light was the diffused kind, behind what looked like sturdy perspex.
“I'll see you boys at the meeting.” She said, knowing they had things of their own right now to do. She moved back up to level one to Marcus' office and knocked on the door.
“Come,” He barked, not looking up.
Gracie walked in and stood submissively in front of his desk, “Sir, permission to ask a question?"
“What?” He said softly, putting his pen down. He wanted to encourage her to accept this new level of responsibility, knowing how difficult it would be for her at first, but she had huge potential.
“I was wondering Sir, if I may be allowed to give Jarod a blanket and pillow. I have placed him in one of the highest security rooms. He doesn’t even have a bed to be able to use to try and get out."
“And what has he done to deserve such things?” He asked her with a steady gaze.
“Nothing since he has been here. But if you give him something that he would be grateful for Sir, he may become used to being here quicker. This place is a good home, and I want him to realise this. I want him to love it here just as much as I do, not want to leave. And I can’t do that if he is stuck in a room where he can’t even have something to sleep on, or keep him warm.” She was scared at how condescending her voice was during some of her speech and looked at the ground, “I’m sorry Sir, I did not mean to be so disrespectful to you."
He laughed out loud at her. “You are ambitious aren’t you?"
She looked at him when he did not yell at her, “I want him to love this home as much as everyone here does. I do not want him thinking it is as bad as his last home. It isn’t. And I hate how rude he is. You do not deserver that kind of disrespect Sir, not ever."
“No I don’t, and I think I will make you personally responsible for that aspect of his training, seeing you seem to be so passionate about it. You have seen him, interacted with him, so right now I guess you are our resident expert, but I hope you are not naïve enough to think that a blanket and pillow will buy him that quickly."
“No of course not Sir. And I do not want to buy him, I just want to show him it is good here. I want him to want to work for you, earn you your money so you can make it better for everyone in this facility." But she just wanted to thank Jarod some how for being here. Now she could be with her sister, she was home.
Marcus nodded at her and wanted to see how good her instincts are. “You understand the restrictions that are necessarily placed on him until he earns his way up to the next level of trust? Just as you have earned your way up?"
“Yes of course Sir. He will have to earn even the basic privileges. But I just thought giving him a blanket and pillow might help him to see it’s not at all bad here."
"Very well then, do as you think is best, just be careful and mind you don’t inundate him with too many privileges he as not yet earnt.” He warned her.
“Yes Sir. And thank you.” She smiled gratefully, "One more thing Sir." She knew she was pushing her luck now.
“Yes?” He said patiently. He would probably need her on this project, if Jarod was as difficult as he suspected. He would need her skills and insights.
“May I take Bailey to meet Jarod?” She asked him, thinking he would say no. Bailey was his second pet project, only to her.
“No, not yet.” He said. "Remember Grace, too much too soon and you will spoil him. The only people he sees are the people on his team, that is all. Not until he is really a member of our family."
“Yes Sir,” She said in disappointment, “I wanted him to meet her for more my sake than his, but I understand." Gracie said, trying not to sulk.
“All in good time Grace. Everything in it’s own time, and it is all the more sweeter for the wait is it not?"
“Yes Sir.” She mumbled looking at the ground. All she wanted was for Jarod to meet her and was extremely disappointed she was not allowed to take Bailey to him. "But maybe Bailey could help a little just this once?” She tried again, knowing she was heading for a punishment. Three years away from home and her training had slipped a bit.
He looked at her dangerously.
Gracie shrunk into herself. “I’m sorry Sir, I just really want this.” She whispered. “I’m sorry.” She apologised again, “I will leave you now Sir."
He nodded at her and resumed his paperwork, making it clear that she was dismissed. He would give her what she wanted, after she had earnt it.
Gracie sighed softly and turned to leave sadly. As soon as the doors shut behind her, a man had grabbed her arm.
“So nice to see you are finally home Gracie. I have missed our little sessions. Please come to my office, we have some things to catch up on.” He said coldly, pushing her forward.
“Yes Mr Mathews.” She whispered, knowing what was about to happen and silently walked with him.
She left the office, tear stains on her face, holding her ribs. She made her way down to Jarod's cell, more than confused, and hurting badly. Walking in to see him in the corner, she looked at him. Her arm still wrapped protectively around her ribs, her face already bruised, her right eye almost swollen shut. Her lip split and still seeping a bit with blood.
Jarod was on his feet in an instant, moving towards her, hissing as he saw the damage. “What happened?” He asked gently, although he could guess the answer to that.
“I told Mr Mathews it was wrong. He shouldn’t touch me or anyone like you said. He didn’t think I was right.” She whispered, swaying a little. She didn’t understand how Jarod, a project knew it was wrong, but an owner didn’t.
Jarod closed his eyes and then looked at her again. He took his shirt off and gently started cleaning the blood away. “I am so sorry,” He whispered miserably.
Grace hissed and pulled back. “No reason to be sorry, I did wrong by Mr Mathews, I deserved the punishment.” She tried to soothe his guilt. It was coming off of him in waves, even someone more normal would feel it.
“I didn’t want... I didn’t mean to make trouble for you, I was trying to help,” He finished lamely.
She knew right this instant, if she had not told him she fabricated the DSA of Parker, she could have used this in her argument, that helping Parker was just hurting her. He tried to help Gracie and ended up hurting her too. “I know you were trying to help. And one thing you said while trying to convince me that you were wrong was right. This isn’t the real world here, we are different, we don’t have that right."
He had to accept the harsh reality of that truth, but it should not be that way.
She hissed at the pain as she slid down the wall, gripping her ribs tightly, “I got permission to give you a blanket and a pillow.” She told him, not looking anywhere but the floor. She knew she had been in the wrong. She was here to please others, and she had tried to deny one the owners his pleasure. She got what she deserved.
Jarod pulled her shirt up a little and looked at the bruise already blossoming. “May I check it? I will be as gentle as I can."
She nodded, "Please do not be gentle, I do not deserve it.” Grace told him. She needed to feel pain, so she would not forget and make the same mistake next time.
“Do you people have an infirmary in here?” He asked her as he prodded as gently as he could, checking for broken ribs, wanting to get his hands on the bastard that did this.
Gracie nodded slowly. “I was outside for too long. I let their rules get to me. I forgot my training Jarod.” She said sadly.
“I am very sorry,” He apologised again. “You should go and get this wrapped, and some ice for the bruising. And can you report him to your superior?"
She looked at Jarod as if he had just pulled a gun out of his arse. “And get myself into more trouble?"
He put his hands up in a gesture of surrender. “Sorry,” He muttered.
“They are the owners, they can do with me as they see fit. I have no right to argue with them, as you can see,” She gestured to her body. “And even if I did tell Mr Marcus, I don’t think he would really care.” She whispered. That had hurt to admit that. She was always trying to please her boss, and when she got beaten like this, she knew deep down he didn’t care.
Jarod was beginning to understand, only too well. “I am sorry,” He said one more time, not knowing what else there was to say. He looked at her sadly. "How was your sister?"
“I didn’t get to see her yet. I went start to Sir's office to ask for permission to give you your blanket and pillow. On the way out, Mr Mathews took me."
“Don’t get yourself into trouble for me, I don’t need any special favours, I will do just fine by myself.” He wondered who this Mathews character was.
“I did not get into trouble for asking Jarod. This is the only thing I am allowed to give you, the rest you will have to earn. I only got into trouble for trying to say no to Mr Mathews."
Jarod nodded again, trying to think of a way of explaining to her it was still wrong, but she was going to have to accept it. It made him sick to think somebody could hurt her so callously, or use her body without any consideration for her feelings.
"Jarod, they will come for you. You are their new toy, they will want to play with you like they just did to me. And I am afraid there is nothing I can do to stop it if they decided to do it."
“I don’t expect you to even try.” He told her gently as he looked at her sadly.
"But like I promised Jarod, I won’t touch you. Not ever. I just hope they don’t want me to breed with you if you do not work." She didn’t think she would mind breeding with this particular male, but she hated to think what it would do to her body.
Jarod looked at her in pure horror. When she had said about the breeding, he had assumed some kind of DNA manipulation, the harvesting of his semen to be artificially implanted, not actual 'breeding'.
She looked at him sadly, “I should get going.” She whispered, and tried to get to her feet.
Jarod helped her up. "Please be careful. I do not want you hurt or at risk on my account."
"Jarod again, this wasn’t your fault, it was mine for not remembering my place. Like you and the box. That was your fault for being disrespectful.” She said, grateful for the help to get to her feet. She slowly walked to the door. “I’ll bring the gifts down later."
"Just be careful,” He told her in worry.
She nodded and moved out. Before she went to the infirmary, she would ask Mr Marcus if it was ok for pain killers. For the third time within 2 hours, she knocked at the door. She didn’t want to hold her ribs, didn’t want to displease him anymore, but she couldn’t move her arm away, they hurt too much
“What?” He asked in exasperation. He was trying to get things organised for this afternoon, finding the right personnel, the right cell, the new room placements, the obstacles needed to be overcome, the assessments made.
Gracie walked in slowly and stood in front of his desk, head down. She had to also apologise to him for her bad behaviour, hoping not to get into more trouble.
He looked up at her. “What happened?"
“I displeased Mr Mathew Sir. I wanted to apologise. He wanted to have me, and I let something Jarod told me get in the way, I forgot my training Sir.” She apologised, not looking up from the ground she wasn’t sure if he knew about how the other owners took pleasure from her, and hoped he did, otherwise she was in a lot of shit when the others found out she had told him.
Marcus took a deep breath and took in her injuries, nothing life-threatening, but if might slow down her efficiency. “And you came to me because?"
“I wanted to apologise Sir, for my disrespect and lack of training towards one of your staff. I wanted to come to you for my punishment Sir, instead of letting you hear it from someone else and come to me.” She said in a sad voice, head lowered.
“Mr Mathew has punished you?” He asked slowly.
“He has beaten me Sir, but I am not sure if it was because he was annoyed with me, or it was my punishment Sir," Grace said truthfully, not wanting to get into any more trouble.
“Since he has not logged a complaint with me, I am assuming the matter is closed. Get down to the infirmary and have them attend you. I want you ready for the meeting this afternoon. And if I see your face in this office once more today before the meeting, you will be moving down to the cell next to Jarod.” He let her know the conversation was over by getting back to his work.
“Yes Sir,” She whispered as the tears fell down her cheeks. She was only trying to be a good project by saving him the hassle of running after her, and she was only screwing up more.
