Brothers



A young child, a boy, only six or perhaps five. He is small for his age.

A tower of Lego stands in front of him, the specifications flashing on the wall. The Empire state Building. It is an exact replica.

“I’ve finished my building,” he announces proudly. “Hey, I’m finished!”

The boy presses up against the mirror, trying to see who lies behind, not tricked in the slightest.

The door opens.

“Hello Jarod, my name is Dr Billy. You’ll be working for me for a while.”

The empire state building crumbles and the boy cries, the first tears of many.

Nothing he does pleases him. No matter how hard he tries there are always veiled threats at replacements. And even though he hates Dr Billy, hates with every fibre of his being, a little traitorous part always wants to please him.

Kyle, Angelo, Dannie. They were all nothing, they proved themselves nothing when they died.

The gun is solid and familiar in his hand. This time he’s going to prove himself, this time.

The woman (flesh and blood now, not cardboard), smiles at him. “Jarod.”

The familiar gun rises, aims and fires without Jarod trying.

Dr Billy can’t be disappointed.

He escapes goes exactly as he plans; nobody to slow him down. He rings Sydney, but he doesn’t want to talk, he just wants to tell him to come home.

Home.

He never needed a home.

“They’ve brought in Miss Parker,” he warns.

Jarod smiles at the idea. He saw her once, she was full of poison and hate and jabbed him in the chest before whispering “one day I will kill you.”

His kind of woman.

“I look forward to meeting her again,” Jarod jibes. Knowing full-well she is listening in. “We have so much to catch up on.”

Only six weeks after Jarod escaped Miss Parker was called to Mr Parker’s office.

“He’s becoming a problem. Three Centre facilities in the last two weeks. Sixteen dead. Over fifty million lost. This is not a game anymore! I want him taken care of.”

“I’m not an assassin, daddy.”

“I know you’ll do what you have to.”

Jarod wasn’t as smart or as clever as the thought he was. A subtle hint from Sydney, a phone call trace from the underestimated-Broots and she had him.

Jarod smiled as she drew her weapon.

He was still smiling on the cold slab.