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DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters and places are the property of MTM, NBC Television and Pretender Productions. This piece of fan fiction was created for entertainment not monetary purposes and the author intended no infringement on copyrights or trademarks. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. The Fort Wayne Wizards are affiliated with the Mid-West league and the author does not intend to infringe on their trademark either.
Author’s Note: This is my first attempt at Fan Fiction and was written to combat N.E.W.S (New Episode Withdrawal Syndrome). I hope it turns out as well in writing as it was in my head. Thanks for reading it and let me know what you think.
The Rules Of The Game
by JoJo
Miss Parker glanced out the window as she prepared to leave the Centre for the day. The sun had set hours before meaning she had spent yet another fruitless day searching for Jarod without finding anything worthwhile. She opened the office door and motioned permission to the maid to enter and begin the night’s cleaning. Making her way to the elevator, she pressed the ground floor button trying not to see the bullet holes that remained in the wall. The memories of that night reached for her as the doors slid shut and the elevator began its descent. Closing her eyes did little to shut out the images that always seemed stronger on nights like this when her mind was as tired as her body. Miss Parker sighed gratefully as the doors opened and she stepped out into yet another dark corridor heading for the employee exit. A deep voice drifted down the hallway causing Parker to turn away from the door as she searched for the speaker.
“Be glad when this one is safely locked away for Mister Raines. We went to an awful lot of trouble for one girl, no matter how pretty.”
Parker shook her head as she wondered what on earth Raines wanted with a girl. Surely, he couldn’t be kidnapping another child for the Pretender Project. She increased her pace trying to catch up with the conversation that continued somewhere in front of her.
“Damn straight. The way we covered our tracks on this one not even the exalted Jarod could figure out what happened.” This second voice Parker recognized as Willie, the sweeper who had become the leader of Raines’ personal team after Gar’s unlamented demise.
As Parker rounded the next corner she saw two men holding a young, red-haired woman in handcuffs waiting for an elevator. Parker quickly ducked into the nearest office as the doors opened and the trio entered. She closed her eyes, fighting the sinking feeling that she knew that particular young woman.
“It can’t be,” Parker whispered to herself. “It just can’t be her.”
Stepping back out into the hallway she walked up to the elevator and watched the lights over the elevator door blink on and off until it finally stopped on sub level 15. Sub level 15, the Centre’s equivalent of a medieval dungeon. A place to put people who were unlikely to see the light of day again.
Parker tried to shake the uneasy feeling that seemed to have taken up permanent residence in the pit of her stomach. She opened the doorway to the stairwell and slowly began the long descent. There was no hurry now; Willie was taking that woman to a place she would not be leaving soon.
When Parker finally arrived at her destination Willie and his fellow sweeper were long gone. The uniformed security guard at the entrance to the cellblock did not even bother to question her as she picked up the logbook. Willie had checked in and out fifteen minutes ago leaving one newly occupied room behind him. The occupant was identified only as Jane Doe. Parker tossed the book at the startled guard and motioned for him to buzz the door open.
She wound her way through the maze of corridors before finally stopping at the door she sought. Other than the number, 117, the door looked exactly like all the others in the corridor. Parker frowned as she heard screaming from inside the room and opened the door.
A man stood with his back to the entrance, pressing a woman against the wall at the back of the cell. The redhead saw Parker before the man did and reached out pleadingly toward the newcomer.
“Help me, please!!”
The man looked over as his shoulder and saw the formidable woman in the doorway, one hand resting casually on the doorknob. His eyes widened as he recognized her and he jumped suddenly to attention.
“Miss Parker, what are you doing here?”
Parker said nothing for the moment, studying the tall, blond man that began to fidget nervously in her presence. Blondie was not particularly impressive. His body obviously contained more fat than muscle and seemed likely to be seriously overweight in a few years. The skin on face and hands was pale and white having spent far more time under the light of fluorescent bulbs than in the sun. The rumpled uniform proclaimed his name to be Roger.
Blondie wrung his hands together unable to endure the silence any longer. “I didn’t know you were coming here, Miss Parker, or I would have made sure the prisoner was more presentable.”
He glanced at the young woman who was desperately trying to pull the tattered pieces of her shirt back together. Red marks showed on her face and arms that would turn into ugly purple bruises by morning. Her lower lip was split and blood trickled down her chin.
Parker stepped inside the small cell and looked from Blondie to the open door and back. The frightened guard nearly tripped over his own feet as he hurried out into the corridor.
“Roger,” the man froze as Parker called out his name. “The Centre does not appreciate employees who damage its’ property.”
“Yes Ma’am. I understand. It won’t happen again.” Roger nearly ran down the hall in his haste to escape the dangerous woman who had interrupted his moment of pleasure.
Parker returned her attention to the woman who was still trying to restore some semblance of normalcy to her clothing. She was a littler shorter than Miss Parker and nearly a decade younger. There was no doubt now about who this was.
“Thank you, Ma’am. I don’t want to think about what would have happened if you hadn’t come.” The redhead looked at Miss Parker expectantly, waiting for a reply.
Parker met the gaze impassively saying nothing until the young woman finally broke the silence. “My name is Emily.”
Miss Parker turned to go, she had the answer she needed.
“Wait please, I - I don’t know how to thank you. You were very kind to help me.”
Parker looked over her shoulder at Emily. “If I was kind, I wouldn’t have stopped him. That is the closest thing to pleasure you are likely to know for a long time.” The door locked automatically as Miss Parker closed it firmly behind her.
****
Broots came to work early hoping to have a little time alone before his employer came to him demanding Jarod’s latest location. He was very disappointed to see that Miss Parker had not only beaten him to work but was sitting at his computer looking very impatient.
“Where have you been, Broots? I’ve been waiting almost an hour for you.”
Before Broots could formulate a suitable reply to that question his boss cut him off.
“Sit down, I want you to get started on this right away.”
Miss Parker rose from the chair and gestured him to take his place at the computer before beginning her instructions. “Do you remember that Hound program you wrote to track money that Jarod appropriated from the Centre?”
Broots nodded but Parker never even paused before continuing. “I want you to put a tracking program in the computer systems of all the package delivery companies that offer service in this area. Don’t forget about the courier services. I want to know as soon as anything enters their systems addressed to either Sydney or me. Maybe the next time Jarod decides to send us a clue we will be able to get the jump on him. Any questions?”
“No Miss Parker. I’ll get started on it right away.” Broots reached for his mouse and opened up a connection to the Internet. The first order of business would be to obtain a list of all the relevant companies and their computer systems.
“Good. I expect it finished by the end of the day.”
“The end of the day!” Broots’ voice rose half an octave in surprise. “But Miss Parker it took me weeks to get The Hound working correctly. And there must be dozens of companies I’m going to have to gain access to once I get the new program working.”
Miss Parker froze him with a look that accepted no delays.
“W-well may-maybe I could get some help inserting the program once it is written,” Broots stuttered.
“That would be a good idea, Brootsie,” Miss Parker turned away to walk out of the room. “The end of the day. Understand?”
“Yes, Miss Parker.” Broots buried his face in his hands as Miss Parker walked away. This was going to be a very long day.
****
Miss Parker picked up the photograph of a woman holding a smiling baby from her desk. Leaning back in her chair, she studied the picture intently. Just then she heard a polite knock on the double doors of her office. She carefully returned the picture to its proper place before calling out permission to enter. A distinguished older man wearing a European suit walked in and took a seat in front of her.
“Good Morning, Miss Parker. I’m told you’ve been tormenting Broots already. You must have enjoyed that.”
“Immensely, Syd. I don’t suppose you have heard from your lab experiment lately?”
“No, I haven’t from Jarod in several weeks.” Sydney replied stressing the name and looking at the younger woman intently. “Any reason for that question?”
For a brief moment, Miss Parker considered confiding in her old friend. The events of the previous night would be of great interest to him and he would be more willing than anyone else at the Centre to assist her. He would also be under the closest scrutiny by the Triumvirate, as they knew how close Sydney and Jarod were.
Miss Parker forced herself to return Sydney’s stare. Revealing the truth to him now was far too risky.
“In case you’ve forgotten, Freud, bringing Jarod back is our job. It is also the Triumvirate’s top priority and they are getting very impatient.”
Sydney folded his hands together and casually leaned back in the chair. “True enough, Parker, but terrifying Broots will not accomplish that goal any faster. You know he will do whatever you ask of him. There is no reason to resort to such aggressive tactics.”
“Broots wanted weeks to write one little program, I just lit a little fire under him.” Miss Parker frowned suspiciously at the psychiatrist seated across from her. “Why are you defending him now? I always yell at Broots and you never say anything.”
“You don’t normally make such incredible demands on him. Writing a new program from scratch and implementing it in so many different systems in one day is impossible. Broots is very talented but nobody is that good."
“What do you want from me, Sydney?”
“Just give Broots the time he needs to do this right. Making him even more nervous and terrified than usual will not do you any good.”
Miss Parker sighed heavily. “Look, Syd. I promise not to shoot the guy, but I need this done yesterday. I am getting a lot of pressure from the Triumvirate and this is the only idea I have that has half a chance of working…unless you have something better?”
Sydney shook his head. “You know I would tell you if I did.”
“I very much doubt that but I won’t hold it against you.” Miss Parker picked up her pen and flipped open a notebook. “Is there anything else?”
Sydney rose and walked to the door. “No, Miss Parker.”
He stopped at the threshold and turned around. “You will let me know if you need any help with your new idea?”
Parker gave him her best imitation of a smile. “Of course, I will.”
****
The sound of the phone jolted Miss Parker out of the grip of yet another nightmare. Disoriented, she reached for the receiver knocking the alarm clock to the floor.
“What?”
An excited male voice responded to her groggy greeting. “Guess what, Miss Parker! I got lucky this morning!!”
Parker stared incredulously into the obnoxious device that had awakened her so early this morning. When she finally replied her voice was several decibels louder.
“Broots, I am not the least bit interested in your so-called love life. For the sake of your future progeny, I will assume you had another reason for interrupting my sleep?”
“N-n-no, Miss Parker. I mean yes. I mean - I didn’t mean that kind of lucky. Remember that program you asked me to write the other day? The one that searches for packages addressed to you and Sydney?”
“How could I forget? Are you finished yet?”
“Well, yes and no. I got the program written and it works but we are still trying to get it into all the different systems. It turns out I was able to reuse a large portion of the code I had written for the Hound program. That saved me a lot of time.”
“Broots, “ Parker warned, “cut to the chase.”
“Well, I figured I would start inserting the program in delivery services Jarod hadn’t used yet. You know how he doesn’t like to repeat earlier methods.” Broots paused dramatically.
“And…” Parker replied exasperated.
“And I got a hit.” The reply was so soft Parker wasn’t sure she had heard it correctly.
“What?”
“I got a hit. Somebody mailed you a package from Fort Wayne less than ten minutes ago. Do you know anyone in Indiana?”
“Jarod.” Parker kicked off the covers and began rummaging through her closet for an appropriate outfit. “Broots get a sweeper team ready and see if you can get hold of the corporate jet. Have Sydney meet us on the runway. I will be there in twenty minutes.”
“Yes, Miss Parker.”
“And Broots…”
“Yes?”
“Good work.”
Parker slammed the phone down and reached for her blouse. This time, Jarod would not get away.
****
When Parker reached the private airstrip where the Centre’s Lear jet waited the rest of her team was already in the small lounge making last minute preparations. Broots, as usual, peered into the screen of a small laptop while Sam and two other sweepers checked their weapons. Only Sydney looked calm as he leafed through the latest edition of the New England Journal of Medicine.
Parker quickly walked up to Sam and pulled him aside. “You are supposed to be watching over the Centre’s property.”
“Don’t worry about that Miss Parker. I’ve been rotating shifts with Jaime. He is a good kid.”
Parker frowned as she tried to place the name. “Fresh cut, all-American type? Looks like he just graduated from high school?”
“That’s him. Played basketball in college but was too short to turn pro.” Sam turned to scan the small group that looked at Parker expectantly. “He’ll take good care of everything.”
“Very well, then.” Parker absently chewed on her lip as she turned away and raised her voice to gain the attention of her computer geek. “Broots, have you learned anything new?”
Broots raised his eyes from the screen looking very amused. “I have an address for a Jarod McGuire who is working as a batting coach for the local Class A baseball team, the Fort Wayne Wizards. That could be our Jarod. The team batting average has risen 20 points since he started working there a few weeks ago.”
“Okay, that will be our first stop once we arrive.” Parker motioned for everyone to board the plane. “Time to go.”
****
Jarod smiled to himself as he checked his small apartment one last time looking for anything that shouldn’t be left behind for his pursuers to find. In the last few weeks he had mastered a game most people learn as children and then leave behind. The young men playing for the Wizards, however, hoped to make it a profession and he had helped this struggling club contend for the division lead. Too bad he couldn’t stay and see how the season turned out.
Jarod picked up the local newspaper and frowned at the headline: Wizard Infielder Frames Shortstop. It was hard to believe that anyone would frame a teammate for rape just to get a starting spot in the line up. And how did you convince your girlfriend to sleep with someone else and then go to the police and report a rape? Jarod shook his head, Pretender or no there were some things he did not want to comprehend. At least both of them would be spending the next few years behind bars where they couldn’t hurt anyone else. Who knows, maybe they would actually learn something.
Jarod set the paper on the kitchen table where Miss Parker would be sure to see it when she arrived in two days after receiving his little package. He picked up his small suitcase and grabbed the car keys from the counter. The only thing left to do was retrieve the haliburton from its hiding place at the local bus terminal. That thing was just too conspicuous to carry around in Indiana where briefcases, let alone metal ones, were a rarity. Someone was sure to notice and question him about it.
Jarod opened the front door and found a 9mm Smith and Wesson pointed at his face. “Hello, Jarod. I was hoping to find you here.” Miss Parker smiled at him over her gun.
Jarod stepped backward looking over his shoulder searching for an escape route but already a large figure was standing on his balcony blocking the only other exit. He turned back to the front door and tried to reason with his abductor.
“Miss Parker, you don’t want to do this. You know this isn’t right.”
“What does right and wrong have to do with anything when you’re talking about the Centre, Jarod?” Miss Parker carefully entered the apartment keeping her gun trained on the captive. “Lay down on the floor and put your hands on your head.”
Jarod kept his eyes on the woman in front of him as he slowly complied with the orders. “Your mother would be very proud of you today, don’t you think?” Jarod put as much sarcasm as possible in his tone but the gun never wavered.
“Sam, keep him covered. If he so much as twitches, shoot him.” Parker flipped the safety switch and then holstered her weapon. Jarod’s eyes widened as she pulled a pre-filled hypodermic needle from her jacket pocket and removed the plastic cover. “Don’t worry Jarod, it will only hurt for a second.”
She was right.
****
Miss Parker pushed open the ornate double doors of the office of the Centre Director. The afternoon sun shone brightly through the large windows and illuminated the tall, older gentleman who rose at her approach with a smile.
“Angel, I knew you do could it. Now life can return to normal and we can get some real work done.” Mr. Parker gently touched his daughter’s elbow and ushered her toward the door. “Why don’t you meet me after work this evening and the two of us will go celebrate?”
“Daddy, you and I need to talk.” Parker frowned at the bald man who appeared outside the office with a portable oxygen tank in tow.
“Angel now is not a good time. Mr. Raines and I have a meeting upstairs. We can talk over dinner.” He stepped to the doorway and gestured for Raines to enter the office.
“This is really important.”
“All the more reason to wait so we can discuss it properly.” Mr. Parker patted her hand in farewell. “See you tonight, Angel.”
Miss Parker glared at the office door in frustration as it closed in front of her. “Tonight Daddy, we will most definitely talk.”
****
Jarod blinked slowly trying to remember where he was. The sharp smell of institutional disinfectant and the drab walls reminded him of a hospital. Jarod groaned and closed his eyes again as the realization struck him. This room was in the Centre’s infirmary.
“Jarod, are you awake?”
Jarod opened his eyes again and turned toward the voice. “Sydney, what are you doing here?”
“Where else would I be?” Sydney smiled gently. “How are you feeling?”
“Trapped. Why am I here instead of in my room? Security is much tighter there.” Jarod tried to sit up and noticed the straps that bound his wrist and ankles for the first time.
Sydney’s smile disappeared as he answered. “You have been unconscious for nearly eighteen hours. The sedative Parker gave you was very strong. It was necessary to monitor your condition closely.”
Jarod grimaced as he futilely tugged at his bonds. “Well, I am sure she did not want me to wake up before delivery of the merchandise was complete. I don’t suppose you can take these things off?”
“Of course Jarod. We wouldn’t want you to feel confined.” Mr. Lyle casually entered the room with a confident expression on his face. He gestured to the two sweepers who accompanied him. “Remove the restraints and put him in his room.”
“Lyle, he should not be moved yet. The medication has not worn off completely. He still needs to be under medical care.” Sydney protested.
Lyle grinned at the older man. “Don’t worry, we will be watching him very closely. By the way, my father wants to see you Sydney.”
The psychiatrist inclined his head in acknowledgment. “I will be there as soon as Jarod is moved to his new room.”
“Now, Sydney” Lyle’s voice hardened and the smile disappeared.
Sydney studied the younger man for a moment then nodded. He turned back to Jarod as the sweepers settled the patient in a wheel chair. From the exhausted expression on Jarod’s face it was obvious he was not yet able to walk.
“Be careful, Jarod. I will return as soon as I can.”
Jarod nodded as he was wheeled from the room.
“Don’t worry. I will be very careful indeed.”
****
Sydney entered Mr. Parker’s office closely behind Mr. Lyle. The light outside the windows was beginning to fade as sun sunk slowly toward the horizon. Mr. Parker sat behind his desk and Mr. Raines occupied another chair across from him.
“I found him, Father. He was with Jarod just as I said.” Mr. Lyle settled himself comfortably in the only remaining chair.
Mr. Parker shifted his gaze to the psychiatrist. “Ah, good to see you Sydney. This will only take a moment. I wanted to let you know that you will no longer have to concern yourself with Jarod’s development. I want you to spend your full time on the twin’s research from now on. The results so far have been intriguing and potentially useful.”
“But Mr. Parker, I know Jarod better than anyone. He will likely be much less productive under other supervision.” Sydney protested trying to contain his agitation.
“I realize that. But the Triumvirate would like to try Jarod’s abilities in another direction than the standard simulations and Mr. Raines is much better suited for the task.” Mr. Parker explained.
Sydney’s eyes widened in surprise. “Mr. Raines is being put in charge of Jarod? What are you planning on having him do?”
“That is no longer your concern, Sydney.” Mr. Parker answered impatiently with a frown. “You may leave now.”
Sydney struggled to contain his fear and nodded his understanding. He turned toward the door as the other men waited for him to exit the room. As he shut the door firmly behind him, Sydney expelled the breath he had been holding. Perhaps Broots would know something about the changes going on here. It couldn’t hurt to ask.
****
Jarod studied the small room that now defined his world. Containing little more than a bed, small footlocker, and desk with a PC it seemed a poor trade for the life he had lived outside of the Centre the past few years. A quick check of the computer had revealed a simple, bare-bones system lacking even an Internet connection. The footlocker contained two sets of spare clothes and a pair of slippers obviously meant for indoor use only.
Surveillance equipment decorated the walls. A video camera mounted in the corner appeared to record in both visible light and infrared. The only door was sealed from the outside and required a magnetic pass card in conjunction with a numeric code entered on a keypad to open. The occasional murmur of deep voices from just outside the door revealed the presence of at least two guards. Jarod noted with amusement that the air vent was too small for even a child to crawl through and the metal grate had been welded to the wall.
Jarod lay back down on the small bed and closed his eyes. Although the search had taken less than five minutes, he found himself thoroughly exhausted. His last thought before he drifted back to sleep was to wonder just how much sedative Miss Parker had given him.
****
Sydney smiled to himself as he entered the Tech Room. Some things never changed. Mr. Broots was seated in front of a computer monitor hunched over the keyboard typing at an amazing speed. Sometimes Sydney wondered if Broots truly realized that life could exist without silicon chips and cathode ray tubes.
“Hello, Broots.”
Broots jumped in surprise and closed a window on his screen looking more than a little guilty. “Oh, Hi Syd”
“Are you chatting with your on-line friend again? What was her name? Delilah?” Sydney couldn’t resist teasing.
“No, of course, not Syd. I was working on a program.” Broots glanced at the screen again making sure no incriminating evidence was still showing on the monitor. That last conversation had gotten completely out of hand. How had Sydney known anyway?
“Glad to hear it. Look I need you to do a favor for me.”
“It’s not dangerous is it?” Broots asked wondering what kind of favor Sydney would need now that Jarod was back at the Centre.
“No, I just need some information about the new project Mr. Raines is heading up. I want to know how he plans to involve Jarod in it.”
“Jarod? How could you not know about a project relating to him? He has always been your responsibility.” Broots frowned in thought. This might involve more than just digging around in some computer files. He dreaded the idea of searching Mr. Raines’ office again. The time he had been trapped there while the desiccated man changed clothes still gave him nightmares.
“I have been informed that Jarod is no longer my concern.” Sydney’s quiet response belied the worry he felt.
Broots’ eyes widened in shock. “They can’t do that, can they? I mean Jarod has never worked without you before. I mean - Sydney, what is going on?”
“That is what I need you to find out.”
****
Miss Parker followed the maitre’ d as he led her to a private dining room in the back of the restaurant. Amazingly, he had told her that her father was already there and had been waiting for her. She couldn’t remember the last time he had been on time for dinner with her. More often than not he was forced to cancel because he had to deal with one problem or another at work.
This place was fairly well known and drew customers from all the surrounding towns. Even this late in the evening the main dining room was nearly at capacity. The ornate chandeliers shed subdued light on diners dressed formally for an evening of French cuisine.
The maitre’ d paused before a set of double doors. He opened one and stepped aside gesturing for Miss Parker to precede him into the small room. A tall, elderly gentleman in a tuxedo sat at a small table with place settings for two people.
Mr. Parker looked up from his menu and stood up to kiss her as they entered the room. “Hello, Angel. You look lovely this evening.”
“Hello Daddy.” Miss Parker returned the kiss and then sat down as the maitre’ d held the chair for her.
“Would you like something to drink before dinner, Madam? Sir?”
“Champagne, “ Mr. Parker replied with a smile. “The best you have. We are celebrating.”
“Very well, sir.” The polite acknowledgment was accompanied by a small bow as the man backed out of the room closing the door softly behind him.
Miss Parker frowned as she perused the menu. Why did Daddy always have to choose to eat at French restaurants? There were several places closer to the Centre that would have done just as well. The food here was good but hardly worth an hour’s drive just for dinner.
“Angel, are you okay?”
“I’m fine Daddy.” Miss Parker looked up from the menu meeting her father’s intense stare. “Why do you ask?”
“You look upset. Is something bothering you?”
“No, Daddy. It’s just that French restaurants always remind me of Mama.” Miss Parker blinked in surprise at her response. Why had she said that?
Mr. Parker sighed and looked around the room. “Yes, I know what you mean. Your mother loved this place. She dragged me out here nearly every week when you were little. They sat us back here because they were afraid a small child couldn’t behave with proper decorum.” Mr. Parker finally returned his gaze to his daughter with a proud smile. “You always proved them wrong though. Once they realized how well behaved you were they wanted to seat us in the main room but Catherine refused to hear of it. By then she said we had established a family ritual and would not allow anyone to break it. One night we waited over two hours for this room to become available.” Mr. Parker chuckled at the memory. “You were so hungry she finally asked the maitre’ d to bring you a snack from the kitchen. After that, we always remembered to call ahead.”
The younger woman sat still trying to remember the scene her father had painted. “Mama said she needed to come here so she could practice her French.”
Mr. Parker nodded agreement. “Not that she needed the practice, of course. Catherine spoke the language fluently. It’s a shame she never taught you.”
“I did manage to learn one or two other languages, Daddy.” Miss Parker answered dryly and returned her gaze to the menu.
Her father chuckled. “More than that, if I remember correctly. Your tutors were always surprised how quickly you picked up a new language. That skill has served you well over the years. You were always my first choice when we needed help overseas.”
Miss Parker schooled her face to stillness and kept her eyes firmly fastened on the menu in front of her. Working for the Centre had always meant more time spent on the road than at home no matter how often she asked for a permanent position in Blue Cove. Even in Corporate she had seemed to rotate from one satellite location to another with only short stretches spent at the main office. Ironically, in the last few years since Jarod’s escape she had spent more time at home than ever before, despite Jarod sending her on wild goose chases all over the country.
The soft murmur of dinner conversations entered the room as a waiter opened the door and presented her father with a bottle of chilled champagne. At a nod from the older man the waiter carefully popped the cork and poured two glasses of clear, sparkling liquid.
Replacing the bottle in a large silver bowl filled with ice on the table the waiter politely inquired if they were ready to order.
“Two orders of Filet Mignon.” Mr. Parker informed the man and dismissed him.
As the double doors closed behind the waiter, Mr. Parker returned his attention to his daughter. “So how do you feel, Angel, now that you have finally recaptured Jarod?”
Miss Parker smiled faintly at the question. “Relieved.”
Her father laughed at the response. “Well, baby, I’ll admit I am glad to finally have the Triumvirate off my back too. Now things can return to the way there supposed be.”
“And how are they supposed to be Daddy?”
Miss Parker almost missed the frown that appeared on her father’s face and then disappeared behind another smile. “Well, for one thing a father can toast his daughter’s success with champagne.” Mr. Parker lifted his glass and extended it toward his daughter. “To you, Angel.”
The sound of crystal chiming filled the small room as the two glasses touched softly over the table.
Miss Parker sipped at her drink then returned it to its position on the table. “Daddy, the reason I wanted to speak to you today was to ask you about our deal.”
“Our deal, Angel?” Mr. Parker looked at his daughter in confusion.
“Yes, Daddy. Our deal.” The answer was firm and clear. “About Jarod. About me leaving the Centre once he was back.”
“Angel, do we have to discuss this now? Jarod just returned yesterday. Surely, this can wait a week or two until things have settled down a little. You know how tense everything is right now. I could use your help. Just this afternoon I received a call from our Mexico City office. Someone broke into their warehouse and stole some highly sensitive documents.”
Miss Parker almost groaned aloud. She hadn’t really expected him to just let her walk away but surely he wasn’t thinking of sending her to work south of the border.
“Daddy I really need a break. I don’t think I’d be much help in Mexico right now.” Miss Parker fixed her gaze on her father. “You promised once this was over I could go.”
“Of course, you’re free to go Angel. You know I would never break my word to you. In a couple of months when the Centre has returned to it’s routine you can do whatever you wish. But I could really use you here now, baby. You and your brother are the only ones I can trust.”
Parker picked up her champagne to hide a grimace. Daddy had already extended her departure from one week to at least two months and when that time was up she was sure another problem would arise. There was always something only she could handle. Well, she hadn’t really expected anything else from this evening but she at least had to make an effort to leave. Otherwise, the powers that be would wonder why she had insisted on the deal in the first place.
She sipped from her drink and smiled regretfully at her father. “Well, I suppose a few days won’t matter. If things are really that tough right now.”
Mr. Parker’s smile was much less reserved. “Excellent. I knew I could count on you. I will send you the files on Mexico City tomorrow. Once you review them I’m sure you’ll be able to point our people down there in the right direction.”
Miss Parker finished off her drink. If she couldn’t figure this out from the files she was sure a first class ticket would be purchased for her soon enough. Maybe even the corporate jet if Daddy was being honest about how important this was. Hopefully, the waiter would return with dinner before she drank too much champagne. She would need a clear head tomorrow.
****
Jarod stretched out on the small bed and tried to figure out how he had ended up back in the one place in the world he did not want to be. Obviously he had made a mistake, but where? The only clue to his whereabouts had been the package he had mailed to Miss Parker and that shouldn’t arrive for another two days. Tracking down his location from that would have been relatively easy but how could she have gotten her hands on the information early?
Jarod shook his head and resisted the urge to get up and pace. He couldn’t walk more than three steps in these quarters. Theoretically, it was possible to track any person’s mail once it had been scanned into a delivery companies’ computers. Miss Parker lacked the technical knowledge but she could have assigned the project to Broots. Every simulation he had run on this possibility revealed that his current system of mail distribution should have been safe for at least another six months.
Something must have happened to inspire the idea in his opponent before it would have occurred to her normally. Something that required his presence at the Centre and that superceded the quest for information about Catherine Parker’s activities before the murder. Miss Parker should have lacked the deep motivation to track him down, certainly her search the past year or two had been lack-luster at best. At some point, the rules to this game had changed and he needed to know what the new ones were.
A smile hovered at the corners of Jarod’s mouth as he remembered another occasion a long time ago when Miss Parker had changed the rules of the game. She had shown up in the Sim Lab full of energy wanting to spend some time with her friend. Sydney had produced a chess game from his office and the two children spent the next hour playing each other.
Jarod’s small smile disappeared as he remembered the frustration in that little girl’s eyes as she realized that her king was checkmated for the third time in as many games…
“It just isn’t fair, Jarod. You always win.” Miss Parker glared at her opponent over the chessboard.
Jarod frowned thoughtfully as he began resetting the pieces. “I’m sorry, Miss Parker. I would let you win but the last time I did that you threatened to wrestle me to the ground and tickle me into submission.”
“And I will if you patronize me like that again!” The young girl folded her arms across her chest and sat up straight fixing her eyes on the boy in front of her. “I will never get any better if you let me win. I won’t learn anything. I don’t mind losing as long you play honestly.”
Jarod bit his lip to refrain from pointing out that she wasn’t exactly amicable about losing three games today. He didn’t think her quicksilver temper improved whether she won or lost. Maybe he could find a way to lose without her realizing he had thrown the game. Maybe they shouldn’t play chess.
“Have you ever played speed chess before?”
Jarod looked up in surprise at the question. “Speed chess?”
“Yeah, it’s the same as regular chess but you have to move your pieces very quickly. You only get a small amount of time to make each move. Do you want to try?”
“Sure.”
“I’ll see if Sydney has a clock we can use. I bet he does. He is a real chess freak.” Miss Parker jumped up from the table and disappeared into Sydney’s office. She reappeared a moment later with a small box that contained two small clocks and a switch on the top to track each player’s time.
Setting the small box next to the chessboard she perched on the edge of her chair and smiled in excitement. “As soon as you make your move just hit the switch and my clock will start to run. I’ll do the same thing to start your clock. You can go first. Okay?”
Jarod nodded as he considered the new twist on a game he had played for years. “Okay.”
He moved a pawn up to free his bishop opening the game. After he tapped the switch setting the clock in motion, Miss Parker quickly grabbed her own pawn. Moving it forward in classic defense, she prevented him from using his bishops to trap her king. She slammed her hand on the switch and grinned. “Your turn.”
Jarod shook his head in confusion and ended his next move with another tap on the clock. Once again Miss Parker barely paused as she responded and slapped the switch.
“Come on Jarod, you can do better than that. Play the game.”
Jarod countered Miss Parker’s move immediately and tripped the switch only to lose a pawn. Frowning, he brought out a knight and watched as Miss Parker moved another pawn out.
“Did you forget the rules, Jarod? Even Angelo could do better than this!”
Jarod studied the board and tried to ignore the taunts. What had gotten into her? She never played like this. Seeing that his time was running out he moved the knight again.
A dozen plays later he watched as Miss Parker moved her queen to the right side of the board.
“Check, Jarod!” She leaned over the table and looked at him expectantly.
He reached for a bishop to block the queen and stopped. “That isn’t check, it is checkmate.” His eyes narrowed in suspicion as he realized he had lost. “You cheated!”
“I did not!” Miss Parker jumped up and glared angrily at her vanquished opponent. “I won fair and square!”
“You did cheat!” Jarod’s voice rose and he matched her glare. “You didn’t tell me all the rules.”
“I did so! I said the rules are the same except for the clock and they are. You are just a sore loser!” They were both yelling now. “I lost a hundred times and never accused you of cheating.”
“What is going in here?” Sydney’s deep voice interrupted the argument.
Both children turned to the older man and concurrently began to explain the situation.
“Nothing. I just beat Jarod at chess. He can’t stand losing.”
“She didn’t explain the differences between the chess and speed chess completely. She won because she cheated.”
“I did tell him everything. It isn’t my fault he didn’t play well enough to win.”
Sydney held up his hand to forestall the continuing and overlapping stream of accusations. “You two are screaming like this over a game of chess?”
Jarod opened his mouth to respond but the psychiatrist overrode him. He fixed a stern eye on the boy. “Young man, you know that Miss Parker would not cheat and you shouldn’t accuse her of something like that.”
The young woman in question straightened her shoulders and sent a pointed look at her accuser. Sydney turned to her and looked down in disapproval. “And as for you, young lady. In the future, I would suggest playing a practice game to allow your opponent to get a feel for the game. You know better than that.”
Sydney paused and studied the two sullen faces in front of him. “Since the two of you seem unable to play together nicely, you will spend the rest of the afternoon cleaning the lab.” He nodded his head toward the small closet in the corner of the room. “There are plenty of supplies in there. I suggest you get to work.”
Miss Parker lifted her chin and planted her hands on her hips. “Sydney, you have got to be kidding. I am a Parker. I do not mop floors.”
The older man folded his arms across his chest. “Perhaps Jarod will let you scrub the cabinets then. Unless, you would prefer that I discuss this incident with your father. I am sure he will come up with a response appropriate for a Parker in your situation.”
Miss Parker swallowed nervously and glanced at the door. “You don’t have to talk to Daddy. I am sure Jarod and I will work something out.”
…Jarod smiled again as he remembered the wrinkled fingers they had both ended up with after scrubbing down every cabinet and table in the Sim Lab. Miss Parker never did mop the floor but she had swept it.
She had changed the rules of the game that day and won. She had done it again yesterday but this time she hadn’t been interested in anything as simple as chess. The question was what was she trying to win this time? He had to know or he risked falling into another trap.
****
Broots stared at the monitor in front of him, impatiently tapping the desk with a pencil. He couldn’t find Sydney anywhere and Miss Parker was not answering her pager. Somebody really needed to know what was going on...other than those who already did, of course. The only good thing about this morning so far was that he hadn’t needed to search Mr. Raines’ office again.
Broots sighed and turned off the monitor. Picking up a manila folder he hurried out the door. Sydney had to return to his office soon and when he did he was going to find a very impatient geek waiting for him.
****
Jarod looked up in surprise as the door to his cell opened. Willie stepped in to the room while two other men watched intently from just outside the door. The sweeper held up a pair of handcuffs and motioned Jarod to turn around.
Jarod tried to sound calm as the restraints clicked into place around his wrists. “Willie, if you came to take me out to breakfast, you’re too late. I just had some wheat grass and tomato juice about half an hour ago. I appreciate the thought though.”
Willie smiled at the comment and guided his prisoner out into the hallway. “Don’t worry about that Jarod. I am sure Mr. Raines has other things on his mind besides lunch.”
The color drained from Jarod’s face as they walked down the corridor. Jarod had promised himself after the first escape never to work for the Centre again. There was no doubt in his mind that Mr. Raines would order an execution today if Jarod did not capitulate. There must be a way to keep that promise and still live through the afternoon. Somehow, he had to find it and find it quickly.
****
Broots jumped out of Sydney’s desk chair as the older man walked into his office and looked around in confusion.
“Broots, what are you doing here?”
Broots crossed the room and shoved a manila folder under the psychiatrists nose. “Where have you been? I have been looking everywhere for you?”
“I have been trying to talk Mr. Parker into letting me speak with Jarod but to no avail. What is this?”
“You asked me look into Mr. Raines’ new project, remember? This is what I found.”
Sydney opened the folder and perused its’ contents. “This is a request to restock the Sim Lab and open it for use.” Sydney frowned as he considered the implications of the paper. “No one has used that room for Simulations since Jarod left. How does Raines think he can convince Jarod to cooperate?”
Broots shook his head at Sydney’s question. “I don’t know but look at what else is in there.”
Sydney flipped the page and examined the next piece of paper. “A copy of Raines’ schedule for today. He has a meeting set for the Sim Lab in 5 minutes with someone referred to as Jane Doe. That is obviously not Jarod. Whom is he meeting with?”
“I don’t know that either but I just checked and Jarod was removed from his cell less than 10 minutes ago. I think he is going to the Sim Lab to meet with Raines and whoever this Jane Doe is. I tried to find Miss Parker but she is not in her office. Syd, what are we going to do? Jarod won’t do simulations for the Centre again. There is no telling how Raines will respond to that. Jarod could die.”
Sydney closed the folder and handed it back to his friend. “Destroy this folder and go home. You shouldn’t be involved in this.”
The computer expert froze in surprise at Sydney’s response. “No way, Syd. I am already involved in this. Whatever you have in mind you will need all the help you can get.”
“This could be dangerous and you have a daughter to protect. Go home.”
Broots crossed his arms defiantly. “I teach my daughter to be loyal to her friends. How would I face her if I abandoned you? I’m staying.”
Sydney shook his head and sighed heavily. “Very well. Let’s go.”
“Where are we going?”
“The Sim Lab, where else?”
Broots swallowed nervously. Maybe he should have gone home after all.
****
Miss Parker sighed as she closed the laptop computer and flicked the power switch. Things were going very quickly now and she had no more time to prepare. With luck, no one would be able to figure what she had done this morning…except Jarod, of course. That man seemed to know everything she did.
One small problem had turned up yesterday that she hadn’t anticipated. She would have to take care of that personally. Miss Parker sat still and folded her hands together on the desk to make her first prayer in over two decades. She hoped no offense would be taken, after all, she wasn’t praying for herself. Surely, the God her mother had talked about so many years ago would understand.
****
Broots nervously followed Sydney into the Sim Lab trying to look as inconspicuous as possible. Mr. Raines was already there with Willie and two other sweepers standing guard over a handcuffed and worried looking Jarod.
Sydney strode across the room and stopped next to his protégée. “Jarod, are you all right?”
Jarod opened his mouth to respond but Raines cut him off. “Sydney, what are you doing here? You were told to stay away from the pretender.”
Sydney smiled and casually put his hands into his jacket pockets. “I came to observe the new direction you intend to take with simulations. I must admit you have piqued my interest. Of course, I shall offer you any assistance I can.”
“Of course you will.” Mr. Raines growled and then turned to the door as it opened again.
Miss Parker strode in and crossed the room to stand next to Broots. “I see I haven’t missed anything yet. Is everything ready?”
Broots looked at his boss in shock. “Miss Parker, you are Jane Doe? How could you be involved in this?” Even in a whisper the disappointment in his tone was impossible to miss.
Miss Parker hard glare silenced her questioner. Folding her arms across her chest, Miss Parker turned to confront Mr. Raines. “Well, do we have to wait all day?”
Raines looked at the trio in exasperation and then turned to address Jarod. “It is time for you to return to work, Jarod. Playtime is over.”
Jarod shook his head and glared at his captors. “I am not working for the Centre any more. No one will abuse my simulations ever again.”
Raines smiled cruelly and motioned to Willie who spoke quietly into intercom. A moment later the door opened a third time and Sam walked in escorting a young, redheaded woman incongruously clothed in a brand new pair of jeans and a shiny Washington Redskins jersey.
Jarod froze in shock as he recognized someone he had spent the last few years searching fruitlessly for. “Emily?”
The woman looked apologetically at the man in handcuffs. “I’m sorry, Jarod. I was careless. I received a message I thought was from you but…” Her voice trailed off helplessly. “I never imagined I would meet my brother like this.”
“NO!” Jarod shouted and struggled uselessly against his bonds. “Raines, you bastard! Let her go! She doesn’t belong here!”
Raines walked over to a nearby table and picked up a small pile of folders. “Now I think we can begin the first simulation.” He returned to stand in front of Jarod and extended the first folder. “Unless you need a further demonstration of the Centre’s abilities, Jarod?”
“You bastard.” Jarod repeated quietly. He turned his gaze to his mentor and pleaded silently.
Sydney reached out and snagged the folder from Mr. Raines and began examining the contents. “Raines, this is a simulation for an assassination. You cannot expect him to do this for you.”
The former doctor glared at his rival as retrieved the folder. “Sydney, if you wish to observe you will do so quietly. I will not allow you to interfere.”
“Mr. Raines, you are compromising Jarod’s value as a pretender. This is not a good idea.”
“Willie,” Raines’ raspy voice seemed loud in the sudden silence. ”Take the doctor to his office and ensure that he remains there for the rest of the day.”
Sydney looked from Raines to Willie and back again. “You cannot be serious. The tower will not stand for this.”
As Willie reached for Sydney’s arm the room suddenly went dark and the vents stilled as the power failed.
Miss Parker’s calm voice rang out the darkness. “No one move. The emergency power will come on-line automatically in a minute.”
Broots frowned as he listened to the command that came out of the darkness to his right. Hadn’t Miss Parker been standing to his left a moment ago? Maybe she had disobeyed her own command? That would be just like her.
The sounds of a scuffle filled the room and then Willie called out for help. “It’s Jarod. He is trying to escape!”
“Stop him!” Raines tried to shout but ended in a fit of coughing.
Broots heard a grunt and a thud then the emergency lights came to life illuminating the lab in a dim, red glow. Broots looked to see Miss Parker standing on his left and the sweepers lying in a pile on the floor. He shook his head in confusion.
“Where’s Jarod?” Sydney asked worriedly looking at the sweepers who struggled to rise without becoming more entangled in each other.
Broots looked around the room and noticed something else. “Sydney, where is Emily?”
Raines hurriedly scanned the lab and turned to Willie. “Find them both! NOW!”
Miss Parker snatched a radio from one of the sweepers and began barking orders to Centre security. “Seal off the Sim Lab and the levels directly above and below it. Jarod has escaped.” She paused and motioned Willie and his sweepers to join the search before issuing her next command. “And make sure he can’t get into the air ducts again!”
Slipping the radio into her pocket she drew her gun and released the safety. “Sydney. Broots. You two stay here with Raines and Sam. Jarod may try to double back.” Three long strides took her out of the lab and out into the hall.
Broots shivered as she disappeared into the darkness and turned back to the psychiatrist. “Syd, what else can go wrong today?”
****
Jarod pushed his sister into the stairwell as the emergency lights finally activated cursing the cuffs on his hands. “We need to get away from here.”
Emily held up a small key in one hand and reached for his wrist with the other. “First, we need to get you out of those.” Jarod looked in amazement as she unlocked the restraints and put them in her pocket. “They might come in handy later.” She explained with a nervous smile.
Jarod returned the smile and then gave her a big hug. “I am so glad to finally meet you.” He held her at arms length to check for injuries then grabbed her hand and began to lead her back in to the hall.
“We can’t go that way Jarod!” Emily exclaimed. “We need to go up.”
Jarod stopped and looked at her. “There is no way out up there, Emily. The sweepers will be guarding all the stairwell exits.”
The young woman stood her ground defiantly. “Up Jarod. She said to go to the roof.”
“She?”
“Miss Parker. She gave me the key for the handcuffs and said to get to the roof,” Emily insisted.
“She gave you the key? When?” Jarod asked incredulously looking nervously at the surveillance camera. Luckily, emergency power did not include the security system but this power outage could not last long. Soon the backup generator would start and all the systems would come back up. He was surprised it hadn’t happened yet.
Emily nodded and began to pull him up the stairs. “When the lights went out and you were struggling with the guards. She put the key in my hand, said to get to the roof and then pushed me into you. Hurry. We don’t have much time.”
Jarod shook his head as he followed his little sister. Miss Parker had certainly changed the rules this time. At least he knew why she had suddenly become so determined to catch him. She must have known Emily was in the hands of the Centre and needed his help to get the younger woman out. Jarod just hoped that his old friend had a good plan to get them safely away. If he and Emily were caught on the roof there would be no place left to run.
****
Sydney studied the empty lab for a moment and then turned and began to walk toward the door. Broots hurried to catch up with him. “Where are you going? Miss Parker said to wait here in case Jarod came back.”
“Broots, “ Sydney explained patiently, “Jarod is not coming back here. We need to find him before someone gets hurt.”
“We?” Broots asked nervously trying to see down the corridor in the dim light.
Sydney smiled at his younger friend. “You’re the one who wanted to come, remember?”
Broots groaned aloud and then jumped as Sam spoke up from behind him.
“Do you have any idea where he would have gone, Doctor?”
Sydney sighed and shook his head. “No. What would the logical thing be, Sam?”
Sam shrugged. “The nearest exit from the building. He needs to get away from the surveillance system.”
“Is there anyplace within the building that he could hide from the cameras?”
Sam shook his head. “Not for long. Where we don’t have video cameras we have motion detectors, heat sensors, things like that. My guess would be the parking garage. If he could get there before the power came back up he could hide in a car.”
Sydney looked at Broots who shook his head helplessly. “I don’t have any better ideas Syd. Sam is right. Jarod needs to hide quickly. The parking garage is as good a place as any.”
“Lead the way Sam, and hope for the best.”
****
Miss Parker cursed as she opened the door to the stairwell and began to run toward the roof. Everything had taken too long. She had set up the search for Jarod; conveniently looking in all the wrong places first if Emily had listened to the instructions. If not, then Jarod and his baby sister would have to find another way out alone.
Unfortunately, people had continued to search her out, looking for orders, making reports, and in general getting in the way. Finally, she had put Willie in charge using the excuse she needed to check on the power. Amazingly, it still hadn’t come back on. She had never dreamed it would be out this long. Maybe God had answered her prayer.
Now, though, none of that mattered. She had to get to the roof or Jarod and Emily would never leave the Centre alive. The small problem that she had discovered the day before seemed to loom larger and larger.
****
Roger shook his head in amazement as he saw the figure enter the stairwell. An opportunity like this would not come again. Without power in the building the security cameras were off and the woman who had interrupted his tryst a few days before was alone and vulnerable. For that little bit of fun she had transferred him from a cushy desk job to maintaining the Centre’s compost heap. Until three days ago, he hadn’t even known the Centre had such a thing and now he made three trips a day with a small truck piled high with garbage that needed to decompose.
They had taken his weapon when they had transferred him from security but a good Centre employee always had at least one spare. Roger drew a Berretta out from under his jacket and began to follow the female figure running up the stairs. All he needed was one good shot and his revenge would be complete.
****
Jarod surveyed the helicopter pad from behind a small door that led to the roof. There appeared to be only one guard who split his time between staring nervously at the elevator and checking the small helicopter that was Jarod’s only hope of leaving the Centre a free man. If Miss Parker had arranged his and Emily’s escape either she had overlooked this sweeper or counted on him to deal with the problem. Luckily, the guard seemed unaware of the small stairwell that had brought the two fugitives to the top of the building. Before the addition of the helicopter pad twenty years earlier, the stairwell had been the only way up here. But the executives using the company helicopter had needed an easier way to reach the roof and so the elevator and a new, larger staircase had been added. The original means of access had long since been forgotten. A quick look to his left revealed Emily to be in position behind a small supply shed and waiting for him to move. Taking a deep breath Jarod stepped out from behind the door and began running toward the guard.
Hearing the sound of shoes slapping the hard concrete the sweeper turned around and saw the pretender coming straight for him. Raising the pistol in his right hand the man fired a warning shot into the air.
“Freeze! Don’t move Jarod. I don’t want to hurt you.”
Jarod stopped running and raised his hands in the air. “Don’t shoot. I’m unarmed.”
The guard kept his weapon trained on the prisoner and watched Jarod uneasily. “On the ground. Hands behind your head.”
Jarod kept his hands in the air and didn’t move. “Look, you don’t have to do this. I can make it worth your while to let me go.”
The guard stared at Jarod incredulously. “I like breathing even more than I like money Jarod. On the ground. Now.”
Intent on his prisoner the man never saw, the young woman who crept up behind him. One swing of a well-worn wooden board that had been used several times that afternoon for the same purpose rendered him unconscious.
“Is he alive?” Emily lowered the impromptu weapon and watched as Jarod examined her victim.
“He’ll live.” Jarod declared rising to his feet. “Get in the helicopter. We need to leave now.”
The siblings ran over to the helicopter and climbed aboard. Jarod handed a pair of protective headphones to his sister and ordered her to put them on as he started the engines. As they prepared to lift off, Jarod looked at his sister with a grin on his face.
“We may get out of here yet.”
“While you fly us home, big brother. I am going to play solitaire.” Emily laughed and held up a laptop computer meaningfully.
Jarod stared at her in amazement. “How did you get that?”
“From the same person who gave me the key for your handcuffs, I assume. It was on the floor of helicopter. I noticed it when we got in.” Carefully laying the machine on her lap, she opened the cover and the computer sprang to life. Emily examined the small screen as the helicopter slowly rose from the roof. “She thought of everything Jarod. This even has a connection to the Internet via satellite.”
Jarod shared a long look with his sister before returning his gaze to the sky. Turning the helicopter toward Washington DC, he planned their escape oblivious to danger that lurked behind him.
****
Miss Parker burst on to the roof with a 9mm Lady Smith and Wesson held desperately in one hand just as the helicopter rose into the air. A body lay sprawled on the ground a few yards from the small supply shed that contained tools, spare parts, and one other small problem. Parker started running toward the structure just as another sweeper emerged from inside holding something large and bulky in his hands. Parker cursed loudly as he knelt on the concrete and raised a SAM launcher to his shoulder but her shout went unheard in the noise from the chopper. Stopping suddenly and dropping to one knee she raised the weapon to fire when the sound of a shot rang out from behind her. The man in front of her toppled to the ground but not before he triggered the missile aimed at the two fugitives in the air.
****
Roger cursed as his first shot missed when Miss Parker suddenly knelt down. She had aimed her weapon at the sweeper holding the SAM launcher as if she intended to shoot him but surely that had been a coincidence. She must have been aiming at the fleeing helicopter. At any rate, the unfortunate sweeper had taken the bullet intended to eliminate the Centre heiress and now she was trying to escape her just punishment. Roger stepped right to get a better angle and resumed firing.
****
Parker had no time to worry over the fate of the pair in the helicopter as two more bullets bounced off the concrete to her right. Rolling left, Parker attempted to bring up her weapon and return fire. She lined up a large man with unkempt, blond hair and a janitor’s uniform in her sights and squeezed the trigger just as pain exploded in her left side. Watching the man crumple to the ground, Parker’s last conscious thought was of amazement that she would not die in an elevator after all.
****
Jarod saw the flash from roof out of the corner of his eye and immediately dove left in an attempt to evade the incoming missile. Emily gasped as the projectile passed by a few feet from her door and crashed into the woods below.
“Will we have to worry about any more of those, Jarod?” Emily’s face was white but her voice was steady as she looked questioningly at her brother.
“I hope not.” Jarod’s grim reply did little to allay her fears as the helicopter continued flying close to the ground. “If we stay low, they shouldn’t be able get a lock on us.”
Emily returned her gaze to the computer screen in her lap and answered as nonchalantly as possible. “Well, just remember to avoid telephone poles. The last thing we need is for Ma Bell to be angry at us too.”
Jarod laughed nervously. “I will keep that in mind little sister. See if you can book us on a few flights out of Dulles International. We wouldn’t want too make things to easy for our pursuers.”
****
Sydney shook his head in exasperation as Broots and Sam rejoined him after another fruitless search in front of the elevators. “This is useless. If Jarod is down here we will never find him this way. We’ve tried three levels in the garage and the only thing we’ve been able to find is a mechanic having a tryst with a female sweeper in a maintenance closet.”
Broots ducked his head as his face flushed in embarrassment at the memory. “Thanks again for helping me out, Sam. That woman was extremely angry with me for opening the door.” He rubbed his jaw where a bruise was already beginning to appear. “She sure does have a good right jab.”
“Next time, remember to duck. The women around here are very dangerous.” Sam chuckled and turned to Sydney. “Perhaps we should check the security cameras now that the power has returned.”
The older man frowned and pressed the up arrow to signal for an elevator. “No. I doubt we will see anything that the sweepers missed. We need to find Miss Parker. If the Centre does recapture Jarod and Emily she will know about it before any of us.”
Sam bit his lip nervously as the doors opened and the trio entered. “Do you think that is a good idea, Syd? She is not likely to be in a good mood after this.”
“At this point Sam, I am not sure there is anything else we can do.”
****
On the roof, four bodies lay motionless as a furtive figure crept out from behind a large air vent. Running across the now empty helicopter pad he stopped at the side of a brown haired woman stretched out on the concrete. A loud wail emerged from his mouth as he saw the blood pooled around her torso. Kneeling slowly beside her, he pressed an ear to her chest then began searching her pockets excitedly. In her left jacket pocket he found a small cellular phone and flipped it open. After activating the speed dial, he raised the unit to his ear and began to whisper hopefully.
“Answer phone. Need help. Answer.”
****
Sydney jumped as the phone in his pocket suddenly started to ring. Uncharacteristically nervous, he fumbled with the phone and nearly dropped it on the floor of the elevator before finally answering.
“Hello.”
A terrified voice on the other end of the connection filled him with dread. “Need help. Doctor come quick.”
“Angelo!” Sydney’s voice rose in fear. “What is wrong?”
“Daughter. Blood. Doctor come.”
The elevator stopped and the doors opened but none of the three men inside moved. A small group of people waited impatiently for them to exit as Broots and Sam exchanged worried looks.
“Angelo, where are you?”
“Roof. Hurry. Hurry.”
Sydney looked at Broots and covered the mouthpiece with his hand. “Angelo is on the roof with Miss Parker and it sounds like she is hurt.”
Sam motioned the group outside the doors to wait for the next car and Broots pressed the button to take them to roof.
“We are coming Angelo.” Sydney closed the phone and turned off the power. The doors slid shut and the elevator slowly rose as three pairs of eyes impatiently looked at the row of lights above the door. Numbers blinked on and off until the car finally reached the roof and the doors opened again.
A figure stood and waved frantically as the three men ran across the rooftop. Kneeling beside the injured woman, Sydney began to examine the wound.
“Broots, call the infirmary. Have them send up a gurney and prepare for emergency surgery. Sam check the other two. See if they are still alive and bring me the emergency first aid kit.”
Sam nodded and hurried to obey the orders. Broots knelt beside his friend and looked at the blood that stained her clothes. “Sydney, will she be okay?”
The older man frowned and pressed a makeshift bandage to the wound. “I hope so, Mr. Broots. I hope so.”
****
Jarod looked over at his sister as she slept on the only bed in their cramped hotel room. Tomorrow, he would find something better but for now they were safest here. Escaping from the Centre had worn them both out and traveling for 12 hours in car hadn’t given them a chance to sleep much. With any luck, their pursuers would still be checking all the flights out of Dulles that Emily had booked. Instead they had taken a taxicab to the nearest auto dealership, purchased a new Buick Skylark and started west. They had changed cars twice since then and Jarod was finally beginning to feel safe.
Still he couldn’t sleep. Miss Parker had orchestrated most of the escape and ever since they started driving he had tried to reach her. Repeated calls to her home, office, and cell phones had all gone unanswered. Hoping to discover news of her whereabouts he had called Sydney’s number but a recorded message from the cellular company had informed him that Sydney’s phone had been turned off.
Staring at the phone Jarod decided to try another tactic. Dialing yet another number he heard it ring and sighed gratefully as a male voice answered the phone.
“Hello?”
“Broots, this is Jarod.”
Jarod heard surprise in Broots’ reply. “Jarod, why are you calling me?”
“I have been trying to reach Miss Parker and Sydney but they are not answering. Is everything okay?”
The voice on the other end suddenly got very soft. “You mean you don’t know?”
“Know what?” Jarod gripped the phone tightly and sat up straight. “What happened?”
“We found Miss Parker on the roof of the Centre with three other men. One was unconscious from a blow to the back of the head and the other two dead from bullet wounds. Miss Parker… “ Broots choked on the last word and his voice trailed off.
“Miss Parker what? Tell me!” Jarod’s worry filled voice woke his sister who sat up and looked at him questioningly.
“She was shot. Sam said one of the dead men was named Roger Corman. She had some trouble with him a few days ago and had him transferred to the sanitation crew. Apparently, he wanted revenge and followed her to the roof. He killed the other sweeper and shot Miss Parker before she was able to stop him.”
Emily moved to the edge of the bed and reached over to take his hand. Jarod squeezed her fingers lightly and spoke again. “Broots, is she all right?”
“I don’t know Jarod. Sydney is still talking to the doctors. She is out of surgery now but she hasn’t woken up yet. She lost a lot of blood and no one is sure if she’ll survive.”
Jarod pulled his sister close to him and put his arm around her for comfort. “Tell Sydney to turn on his phone okay? I will call him later.”
“I will, Jarod. Are the two of you all right?”
“Yes, thanks.” Jarod hung up the phone and buried his face in Emily’s shoulder.
“Jarod, what happened to Miss Parker?” Emily hugged him tightly. “Please tell me.”
“She was on the roof of the Centre. I think she went there to cover our escape. A fellow employee had a grudge against her for transferring him to an unsavory position and wanted revenge.” Jarod voice broke and he paused before resuming his narrative. “He followed her to the roof and shot her and another sweeper. Miss Parker returned fire. The two men are both dead and Miss Parker just got of surgery. They don’t know if she will make it. Bastard.” Jarod swore and wiped his eyes with the back of his hand.
Emily bit her lip as a suspicion formed in the back of her mind. “Jarod, do you know the name of the guy that shot her? The fellow employee?”
Jarod pulled back and looked at his sister’s face. “Roger. Roger Corman. Why?”
“God, help me.” Emily breathed.
“Em, do you know him?”
Emily nodded and pulled away to sit on the edge of the bed. “When I was first captured and brought to the Centre they put me in a cell on sublevel 15. There was a man there in a security guard uniform. The name on the shirt was Roger. He tried – he was going to…anyway that is when I met Miss Parker. She just appeared out of nowhere and stopped him. Roger was furious but looked too scared of her to do anything.”
Jarod sat down next to his sister and held her. “Were you hurt?”
“No, like I said, Miss Parker intervened. I never saw Roger again. Later a guy named Sam showed up with some dinner and these clothes. He said Miss Parker had asked him to check up on me. He made sure I didn’t have any more trouble.” Emily clutched her brother tightly. “I don’t want to think about what might have happened if she hadn’t arrived when she did.”
“It’s okay. You’re safe now.” Jarod stroked his sister’s hair and tried to reassure her.
“I know. But Miss Parker’s not. She was shot trying to protect me again. Protecting us.” Emily let the tears flow down her face unchecked. “I wish there was something I could do to help her. I owe her.”
“So do I, Emily. So do I.”
****
Broots sat holding his sleeping daughter in his lap while they waited in silence for Miss Parker to awaken. The Centre had put the Chairman’s daughter in the largest private room the hospital had but with five people inside it seemed cramped. For a woman who insisted she did not have any friends she had an awful lot of people worried about her.
Sydney had refused to leave her side, even up to observing the surgery. Broots had waited outside with Sam and Angelo nearly five hours. When the doctors had finally returned the news had not been very encouraging. They had removed the bullet successfully but she had lost a lot of blood and they weren’t sure if she would make it. There was nothing to do but wait. If she made it through the night her chances would improve greatly.
Broots had called Debbie to arrange for her to stay the night with her godmother but when the girl had found out what happened she had insisted on coming to the hospital. Broots had tried to talk her out it but she would not be dissuaded. So he had picked her up and brought her in to wait with the four men in the darkened hospital room.
Every few hours a nurse appeared and tried to talk them all into going home but no one did. Angelo curled up on the floor and Debbie stretched out on the small couch with her head resting on her father’s lap. They were the only ones able to sleep. Sydney sat in the only chair holding his cell phone clutched in one hand waiting anxiously for Jarod to call again. Sam just stood next to the window and watched the traffic flow by outside.
Another nurse walked in followed by a tall doctor in green scrubs and a surgical mask. Broots squinted at the pair in the dim light. Something about them seemed familiar.
The doctor walked over to Miss Parker and laid his hand gently on her cheek. “How is she doing, Sydney?”
“Jarod!” Sydney sprang to his feet in amazement. “What are you doing here?”
The nurse shut the door and stepped over to Jarod’s side and touched his arm. “We had to know if she is okay.”
“Emily! You’re here too.” Sydney shook his head. “You should not have come.”
Sam left his position by the window and stood on the opposite side of the bed, studying the newly arrived pair suspiciously. Sydney saw the movement and laid a reassuring hand on the younger man’s shoulder.
“How is she doing?” Jarod repeated quietly.
“She still hasn’t woken.” Broots replied as his daughter sat up and looked around in confusion.
“Well, we have a little time to wait.” Jarod sat down on the floor next Angelo and his sister joined him. “She will wake soon.”
Broots couldn’t tell if Jarod believed his own words or not.
****
The first thing Miss Parker became aware of was the voices. Two deep, male voices arguing back and forth.
“I’m not leaving. Not until she wakes.” The deep voice seemed familiar but Parker couldn’t remember why.
“It’s not safe. You’ve been here too long already.” This voice sounded older and worried.
“We’re staying.” The answer was calm but no less worried.
“But…” The response trailed off in frustration. Sydney. That was the name of the older man. Parker tried to open her eyes, sure that if she could see the face of the second man she would recognize him too. Her eyelids fluttered but in the dim light all she saw was shadows.
“Oh my God.” That was the younger man again. Parker tried to focus on the shadow that suddenly moved toward her and hovered over the bed. “Miss Parker, are you awake?”
She tried to respond but her dry throat refused to speak. Someone poured a few drops of water on her tongue, which seemed to help.
“Miss Parker, can you hear me?” That was the same familiar voice again.
“Jarod.” The answer emerged as a hoarse whisper.
The room seemed to explode with noise as everyone began to speak at once. Parker closed her eyes to block out the excited movement around her.
“She’s awake!”
“Miss Parker, How do you feel?”
“I’ll get the doctor!”
“Wait, don’t! We have two here already!”
“Quiet! Everyone quiet down!” Jarod’s firm voice cut off the emerging cacophony of sound. Taking her hand he studied her face intently. “How are you feeling?”
“Lousy.” The honest answer caused chuckles from various corners of the room. Opening her eyes fully, she returned his stare. “Why are you here?”
Jarod smiled softly and stroked the back of her hand with his thumb. “To thank you. You took a big chance yesterday. I want you to know I am grateful.” Jarod inclined his head to the young woman at his side. “We both are.”
Parker licked her lips and looked at the glass of water next to her bed longingly. Noticing her stare, Jarod picked up a straw and placed it in the water. Covering the top of the straw with his forefinger, he removed the straw and placed it in her mouth.
“Careful.” When he removed his finger from the end of the straw, the clear liquid dropped into the patient’s mouth. Swallowing reflexively, Miss Parker nodded thanks and closed her eyes again.
Sydney reached out and placed a hand on his protégé’s shoulder. “Jarod she will be okay. You both must leave. Now.”
Jarod nodded and replaced the straw in the glass. “Take care of her, Syd.”
“Of course.”
After tying the surgical mask around his mouth, the pretender took his sister’s hand and started toward the door.
“Jarod.” The tired voice from the bed was little more than a whisper but the pair stopped instantly and turned back toward their friend. “I’m glad you made it out. Both of you.”
Nodding, Jarod picked up his old friend’s hand and squeezed gently. “When you are ready to leave, let me know.”
Sighing, Miss Parker turned her head to the side and looked out the small window. “Not yet.”
Laying her hand back on the bed, Jarod stepped away. Hand in hand, the pretender and his sister strode out of the dark room and into the lighted hallway. Ten minutes later, they drove out of the visitor’s parking lot heading east, straight into the rising sun.
****
A week later Miss Parker strode into her office for the first time since her injury. In the middle of her desk was a plain, brown shipping box with a return address from Fort Wayne, Indiana. Shaking her head in surprise, the impatient woman tore open the package and reached into the Styrofoam peanuts. Her fingers closed around a hard, ceramic statue about twelve inches high. Placing it on the desk next to the box, Miss Parker studied the odd gift with her arms crossed over her chest.
An old man wearing dark blue robes covered with arcane symbols stood on a small pedestal. His left hand clutched a thick tome to his chest while his right hand, raised above his head, held a life size baseball. Parker shook her head at the autographs from minor league baseball players that almost completely covered the ball. The inscription on the ball read “Fort Wayne Wizards, Midwest League - Class A.” Her eyes traveled back down the bearded figure to the base where a question was inscribed on the front in bold letters.
“Do you believe in magic?”
Stepping away from the desk, Miss Parker turned and looked out the window at the green grass that thrived in the spring sunshine and smiled.
The End
Author’s Note: This is my first attempt at Fan Fiction and was written to combat N.E.W.S (New Episode Withdrawal Syndrome). I hope it turns out as well in writing as it was in my head. Thanks for reading it and let me know what you think.
by JoJo
Miss Parker glanced out the window as she prepared to leave the Centre for the day. The sun had set hours before meaning she had spent yet another fruitless day searching for Jarod without finding anything worthwhile. She opened the office door and motioned permission to the maid to enter and begin the night’s cleaning. Making her way to the elevator, she pressed the ground floor button trying not to see the bullet holes that remained in the wall. The memories of that night reached for her as the doors slid shut and the elevator began its descent. Closing her eyes did little to shut out the images that always seemed stronger on nights like this when her mind was as tired as her body. Miss Parker sighed gratefully as the doors opened and she stepped out into yet another dark corridor heading for the employee exit. A deep voice drifted down the hallway causing Parker to turn away from the door as she searched for the speaker.
“Be glad when this one is safely locked away for Mister Raines. We went to an awful lot of trouble for one girl, no matter how pretty.”
Parker shook her head as she wondered what on earth Raines wanted with a girl. Surely, he couldn’t be kidnapping another child for the Pretender Project. She increased her pace trying to catch up with the conversation that continued somewhere in front of her.
“Damn straight. The way we covered our tracks on this one not even the exalted Jarod could figure out what happened.” This second voice Parker recognized as Willie, the sweeper who had become the leader of Raines’ personal team after Gar’s unlamented demise.
As Parker rounded the next corner she saw two men holding a young, red-haired woman in handcuffs waiting for an elevator. Parker quickly ducked into the nearest office as the doors opened and the trio entered. She closed her eyes, fighting the sinking feeling that she knew that particular young woman.
“It can’t be,” Parker whispered to herself. “It just can’t be her.”
Stepping back out into the hallway she walked up to the elevator and watched the lights over the elevator door blink on and off until it finally stopped on sub level 15. Sub level 15, the Centre’s equivalent of a medieval dungeon. A place to put people who were unlikely to see the light of day again.
Parker tried to shake the uneasy feeling that seemed to have taken up permanent residence in the pit of her stomach. She opened the doorway to the stairwell and slowly began the long descent. There was no hurry now; Willie was taking that woman to a place she would not be leaving soon.
When Parker finally arrived at her destination Willie and his fellow sweeper were long gone. The uniformed security guard at the entrance to the cellblock did not even bother to question her as she picked up the logbook. Willie had checked in and out fifteen minutes ago leaving one newly occupied room behind him. The occupant was identified only as Jane Doe. Parker tossed the book at the startled guard and motioned for him to buzz the door open.
She wound her way through the maze of corridors before finally stopping at the door she sought. Other than the number, 117, the door looked exactly like all the others in the corridor. Parker frowned as she heard screaming from inside the room and opened the door.
A man stood with his back to the entrance, pressing a woman against the wall at the back of the cell. The redhead saw Parker before the man did and reached out pleadingly toward the newcomer.
“Help me, please!!”
The man looked over as his shoulder and saw the formidable woman in the doorway, one hand resting casually on the doorknob. His eyes widened as he recognized her and he jumped suddenly to attention.
“Miss Parker, what are you doing here?”
Parker said nothing for the moment, studying the tall, blond man that began to fidget nervously in her presence. Blondie was not particularly impressive. His body obviously contained more fat than muscle and seemed likely to be seriously overweight in a few years. The skin on face and hands was pale and white having spent far more time under the light of fluorescent bulbs than in the sun. The rumpled uniform proclaimed his name to be Roger.
Blondie wrung his hands together unable to endure the silence any longer. “I didn’t know you were coming here, Miss Parker, or I would have made sure the prisoner was more presentable.”
He glanced at the young woman who was desperately trying to pull the tattered pieces of her shirt back together. Red marks showed on her face and arms that would turn into ugly purple bruises by morning. Her lower lip was split and blood trickled down her chin.
Parker stepped inside the small cell and looked from Blondie to the open door and back. The frightened guard nearly tripped over his own feet as he hurried out into the corridor.
“Roger,” the man froze as Parker called out his name. “The Centre does not appreciate employees who damage its’ property.”
“Yes Ma’am. I understand. It won’t happen again.” Roger nearly ran down the hall in his haste to escape the dangerous woman who had interrupted his moment of pleasure.
Parker returned her attention to the woman who was still trying to restore some semblance of normalcy to her clothing. She was a littler shorter than Miss Parker and nearly a decade younger. There was no doubt now about who this was.
“Thank you, Ma’am. I don’t want to think about what would have happened if you hadn’t come.” The redhead looked at Miss Parker expectantly, waiting for a reply.
Parker met the gaze impassively saying nothing until the young woman finally broke the silence. “My name is Emily.”
Miss Parker turned to go, she had the answer she needed.
“Wait please, I - I don’t know how to thank you. You were very kind to help me.”
Parker looked over her shoulder at Emily. “If I was kind, I wouldn’t have stopped him. That is the closest thing to pleasure you are likely to know for a long time.” The door locked automatically as Miss Parker closed it firmly behind her.
****
Broots came to work early hoping to have a little time alone before his employer came to him demanding Jarod’s latest location. He was very disappointed to see that Miss Parker had not only beaten him to work but was sitting at his computer looking very impatient.
“Where have you been, Broots? I’ve been waiting almost an hour for you.”
Before Broots could formulate a suitable reply to that question his boss cut him off.
“Sit down, I want you to get started on this right away.”
Miss Parker rose from the chair and gestured him to take his place at the computer before beginning her instructions. “Do you remember that Hound program you wrote to track money that Jarod appropriated from the Centre?”
Broots nodded but Parker never even paused before continuing. “I want you to put a tracking program in the computer systems of all the package delivery companies that offer service in this area. Don’t forget about the courier services. I want to know as soon as anything enters their systems addressed to either Sydney or me. Maybe the next time Jarod decides to send us a clue we will be able to get the jump on him. Any questions?”
“No Miss Parker. I’ll get started on it right away.” Broots reached for his mouse and opened up a connection to the Internet. The first order of business would be to obtain a list of all the relevant companies and their computer systems.
“Good. I expect it finished by the end of the day.”
“The end of the day!” Broots’ voice rose half an octave in surprise. “But Miss Parker it took me weeks to get The Hound working correctly. And there must be dozens of companies I’m going to have to gain access to once I get the new program working.”
Miss Parker froze him with a look that accepted no delays.
“W-well may-maybe I could get some help inserting the program once it is written,” Broots stuttered.
“That would be a good idea, Brootsie,” Miss Parker turned away to walk out of the room. “The end of the day. Understand?”
“Yes, Miss Parker.” Broots buried his face in his hands as Miss Parker walked away. This was going to be a very long day.
****
Miss Parker picked up the photograph of a woman holding a smiling baby from her desk. Leaning back in her chair, she studied the picture intently. Just then she heard a polite knock on the double doors of her office. She carefully returned the picture to its proper place before calling out permission to enter. A distinguished older man wearing a European suit walked in and took a seat in front of her.
“Good Morning, Miss Parker. I’m told you’ve been tormenting Broots already. You must have enjoyed that.”
“Immensely, Syd. I don’t suppose you have heard from your lab experiment lately?”
“No, I haven’t from Jarod in several weeks.” Sydney replied stressing the name and looking at the younger woman intently. “Any reason for that question?”
For a brief moment, Miss Parker considered confiding in her old friend. The events of the previous night would be of great interest to him and he would be more willing than anyone else at the Centre to assist her. He would also be under the closest scrutiny by the Triumvirate, as they knew how close Sydney and Jarod were.
Miss Parker forced herself to return Sydney’s stare. Revealing the truth to him now was far too risky.
“In case you’ve forgotten, Freud, bringing Jarod back is our job. It is also the Triumvirate’s top priority and they are getting very impatient.”
Sydney folded his hands together and casually leaned back in the chair. “True enough, Parker, but terrifying Broots will not accomplish that goal any faster. You know he will do whatever you ask of him. There is no reason to resort to such aggressive tactics.”
“Broots wanted weeks to write one little program, I just lit a little fire under him.” Miss Parker frowned suspiciously at the psychiatrist seated across from her. “Why are you defending him now? I always yell at Broots and you never say anything.”
“You don’t normally make such incredible demands on him. Writing a new program from scratch and implementing it in so many different systems in one day is impossible. Broots is very talented but nobody is that good."
“What do you want from me, Sydney?”
“Just give Broots the time he needs to do this right. Making him even more nervous and terrified than usual will not do you any good.”
Miss Parker sighed heavily. “Look, Syd. I promise not to shoot the guy, but I need this done yesterday. I am getting a lot of pressure from the Triumvirate and this is the only idea I have that has half a chance of working…unless you have something better?”
Sydney shook his head. “You know I would tell you if I did.”
“I very much doubt that but I won’t hold it against you.” Miss Parker picked up her pen and flipped open a notebook. “Is there anything else?”
Sydney rose and walked to the door. “No, Miss Parker.”
He stopped at the threshold and turned around. “You will let me know if you need any help with your new idea?”
Parker gave him her best imitation of a smile. “Of course, I will.”
****
The sound of the phone jolted Miss Parker out of the grip of yet another nightmare. Disoriented, she reached for the receiver knocking the alarm clock to the floor.
“What?”
An excited male voice responded to her groggy greeting. “Guess what, Miss Parker! I got lucky this morning!!”
Parker stared incredulously into the obnoxious device that had awakened her so early this morning. When she finally replied her voice was several decibels louder.
“Broots, I am not the least bit interested in your so-called love life. For the sake of your future progeny, I will assume you had another reason for interrupting my sleep?”
“N-n-no, Miss Parker. I mean yes. I mean - I didn’t mean that kind of lucky. Remember that program you asked me to write the other day? The one that searches for packages addressed to you and Sydney?”
“How could I forget? Are you finished yet?”
“Well, yes and no. I got the program written and it works but we are still trying to get it into all the different systems. It turns out I was able to reuse a large portion of the code I had written for the Hound program. That saved me a lot of time.”
“Broots, “ Parker warned, “cut to the chase.”
“Well, I figured I would start inserting the program in delivery services Jarod hadn’t used yet. You know how he doesn’t like to repeat earlier methods.” Broots paused dramatically.
“And…” Parker replied exasperated.
“And I got a hit.” The reply was so soft Parker wasn’t sure she had heard it correctly.
“What?”
“I got a hit. Somebody mailed you a package from Fort Wayne less than ten minutes ago. Do you know anyone in Indiana?”
“Jarod.” Parker kicked off the covers and began rummaging through her closet for an appropriate outfit. “Broots get a sweeper team ready and see if you can get hold of the corporate jet. Have Sydney meet us on the runway. I will be there in twenty minutes.”
“Yes, Miss Parker.”
“And Broots…”
“Yes?”
“Good work.”
Parker slammed the phone down and reached for her blouse. This time, Jarod would not get away.
****
When Parker reached the private airstrip where the Centre’s Lear jet waited the rest of her team was already in the small lounge making last minute preparations. Broots, as usual, peered into the screen of a small laptop while Sam and two other sweepers checked their weapons. Only Sydney looked calm as he leafed through the latest edition of the New England Journal of Medicine.
Parker quickly walked up to Sam and pulled him aside. “You are supposed to be watching over the Centre’s property.”
“Don’t worry about that Miss Parker. I’ve been rotating shifts with Jaime. He is a good kid.”
Parker frowned as she tried to place the name. “Fresh cut, all-American type? Looks like he just graduated from high school?”
“That’s him. Played basketball in college but was too short to turn pro.” Sam turned to scan the small group that looked at Parker expectantly. “He’ll take good care of everything.”
“Very well, then.” Parker absently chewed on her lip as she turned away and raised her voice to gain the attention of her computer geek. “Broots, have you learned anything new?”
Broots raised his eyes from the screen looking very amused. “I have an address for a Jarod McGuire who is working as a batting coach for the local Class A baseball team, the Fort Wayne Wizards. That could be our Jarod. The team batting average has risen 20 points since he started working there a few weeks ago.”
“Okay, that will be our first stop once we arrive.” Parker motioned for everyone to board the plane. “Time to go.”
****
Jarod smiled to himself as he checked his small apartment one last time looking for anything that shouldn’t be left behind for his pursuers to find. In the last few weeks he had mastered a game most people learn as children and then leave behind. The young men playing for the Wizards, however, hoped to make it a profession and he had helped this struggling club contend for the division lead. Too bad he couldn’t stay and see how the season turned out.
Jarod picked up the local newspaper and frowned at the headline: Wizard Infielder Frames Shortstop. It was hard to believe that anyone would frame a teammate for rape just to get a starting spot in the line up. And how did you convince your girlfriend to sleep with someone else and then go to the police and report a rape? Jarod shook his head, Pretender or no there were some things he did not want to comprehend. At least both of them would be spending the next few years behind bars where they couldn’t hurt anyone else. Who knows, maybe they would actually learn something.
Jarod set the paper on the kitchen table where Miss Parker would be sure to see it when she arrived in two days after receiving his little package. He picked up his small suitcase and grabbed the car keys from the counter. The only thing left to do was retrieve the haliburton from its hiding place at the local bus terminal. That thing was just too conspicuous to carry around in Indiana where briefcases, let alone metal ones, were a rarity. Someone was sure to notice and question him about it.
Jarod opened the front door and found a 9mm Smith and Wesson pointed at his face. “Hello, Jarod. I was hoping to find you here.” Miss Parker smiled at him over her gun.
Jarod stepped backward looking over his shoulder searching for an escape route but already a large figure was standing on his balcony blocking the only other exit. He turned back to the front door and tried to reason with his abductor.
“Miss Parker, you don’t want to do this. You know this isn’t right.”
“What does right and wrong have to do with anything when you’re talking about the Centre, Jarod?” Miss Parker carefully entered the apartment keeping her gun trained on the captive. “Lay down on the floor and put your hands on your head.”
Jarod kept his eyes on the woman in front of him as he slowly complied with the orders. “Your mother would be very proud of you today, don’t you think?” Jarod put as much sarcasm as possible in his tone but the gun never wavered.
“Sam, keep him covered. If he so much as twitches, shoot him.” Parker flipped the safety switch and then holstered her weapon. Jarod’s eyes widened as she pulled a pre-filled hypodermic needle from her jacket pocket and removed the plastic cover. “Don’t worry Jarod, it will only hurt for a second.”
She was right.
****
Miss Parker pushed open the ornate double doors of the office of the Centre Director. The afternoon sun shone brightly through the large windows and illuminated the tall, older gentleman who rose at her approach with a smile.
“Angel, I knew you do could it. Now life can return to normal and we can get some real work done.” Mr. Parker gently touched his daughter’s elbow and ushered her toward the door. “Why don’t you meet me after work this evening and the two of us will go celebrate?”
“Daddy, you and I need to talk.” Parker frowned at the bald man who appeared outside the office with a portable oxygen tank in tow.
“Angel now is not a good time. Mr. Raines and I have a meeting upstairs. We can talk over dinner.” He stepped to the doorway and gestured for Raines to enter the office.
“This is really important.”
“All the more reason to wait so we can discuss it properly.” Mr. Parker patted her hand in farewell. “See you tonight, Angel.”
Miss Parker glared at the office door in frustration as it closed in front of her. “Tonight Daddy, we will most definitely talk.”
****
Jarod blinked slowly trying to remember where he was. The sharp smell of institutional disinfectant and the drab walls reminded him of a hospital. Jarod groaned and closed his eyes again as the realization struck him. This room was in the Centre’s infirmary.
“Jarod, are you awake?”
Jarod opened his eyes again and turned toward the voice. “Sydney, what are you doing here?”
“Where else would I be?” Sydney smiled gently. “How are you feeling?”
“Trapped. Why am I here instead of in my room? Security is much tighter there.” Jarod tried to sit up and noticed the straps that bound his wrist and ankles for the first time.
Sydney’s smile disappeared as he answered. “You have been unconscious for nearly eighteen hours. The sedative Parker gave you was very strong. It was necessary to monitor your condition closely.”
Jarod grimaced as he futilely tugged at his bonds. “Well, I am sure she did not want me to wake up before delivery of the merchandise was complete. I don’t suppose you can take these things off?”
“Of course Jarod. We wouldn’t want you to feel confined.” Mr. Lyle casually entered the room with a confident expression on his face. He gestured to the two sweepers who accompanied him. “Remove the restraints and put him in his room.”
“Lyle, he should not be moved yet. The medication has not worn off completely. He still needs to be under medical care.” Sydney protested.
Lyle grinned at the older man. “Don’t worry, we will be watching him very closely. By the way, my father wants to see you Sydney.”
The psychiatrist inclined his head in acknowledgment. “I will be there as soon as Jarod is moved to his new room.”
“Now, Sydney” Lyle’s voice hardened and the smile disappeared.
Sydney studied the younger man for a moment then nodded. He turned back to Jarod as the sweepers settled the patient in a wheel chair. From the exhausted expression on Jarod’s face it was obvious he was not yet able to walk.
“Be careful, Jarod. I will return as soon as I can.”
Jarod nodded as he was wheeled from the room.
“Don’t worry. I will be very careful indeed.”
****
Sydney entered Mr. Parker’s office closely behind Mr. Lyle. The light outside the windows was beginning to fade as sun sunk slowly toward the horizon. Mr. Parker sat behind his desk and Mr. Raines occupied another chair across from him.
“I found him, Father. He was with Jarod just as I said.” Mr. Lyle settled himself comfortably in the only remaining chair.
Mr. Parker shifted his gaze to the psychiatrist. “Ah, good to see you Sydney. This will only take a moment. I wanted to let you know that you will no longer have to concern yourself with Jarod’s development. I want you to spend your full time on the twin’s research from now on. The results so far have been intriguing and potentially useful.”
“But Mr. Parker, I know Jarod better than anyone. He will likely be much less productive under other supervision.” Sydney protested trying to contain his agitation.
“I realize that. But the Triumvirate would like to try Jarod’s abilities in another direction than the standard simulations and Mr. Raines is much better suited for the task.” Mr. Parker explained.
Sydney’s eyes widened in surprise. “Mr. Raines is being put in charge of Jarod? What are you planning on having him do?”
“That is no longer your concern, Sydney.” Mr. Parker answered impatiently with a frown. “You may leave now.”
Sydney struggled to contain his fear and nodded his understanding. He turned toward the door as the other men waited for him to exit the room. As he shut the door firmly behind him, Sydney expelled the breath he had been holding. Perhaps Broots would know something about the changes going on here. It couldn’t hurt to ask.
****
Jarod studied the small room that now defined his world. Containing little more than a bed, small footlocker, and desk with a PC it seemed a poor trade for the life he had lived outside of the Centre the past few years. A quick check of the computer had revealed a simple, bare-bones system lacking even an Internet connection. The footlocker contained two sets of spare clothes and a pair of slippers obviously meant for indoor use only.
Surveillance equipment decorated the walls. A video camera mounted in the corner appeared to record in both visible light and infrared. The only door was sealed from the outside and required a magnetic pass card in conjunction with a numeric code entered on a keypad to open. The occasional murmur of deep voices from just outside the door revealed the presence of at least two guards. Jarod noted with amusement that the air vent was too small for even a child to crawl through and the metal grate had been welded to the wall.
Jarod lay back down on the small bed and closed his eyes. Although the search had taken less than five minutes, he found himself thoroughly exhausted. His last thought before he drifted back to sleep was to wonder just how much sedative Miss Parker had given him.
****
Sydney smiled to himself as he entered the Tech Room. Some things never changed. Mr. Broots was seated in front of a computer monitor hunched over the keyboard typing at an amazing speed. Sometimes Sydney wondered if Broots truly realized that life could exist without silicon chips and cathode ray tubes.
“Hello, Broots.”
Broots jumped in surprise and closed a window on his screen looking more than a little guilty. “Oh, Hi Syd”
“Are you chatting with your on-line friend again? What was her name? Delilah?” Sydney couldn’t resist teasing.
“No, of course, not Syd. I was working on a program.” Broots glanced at the screen again making sure no incriminating evidence was still showing on the monitor. That last conversation had gotten completely out of hand. How had Sydney known anyway?
“Glad to hear it. Look I need you to do a favor for me.”
“It’s not dangerous is it?” Broots asked wondering what kind of favor Sydney would need now that Jarod was back at the Centre.
“No, I just need some information about the new project Mr. Raines is heading up. I want to know how he plans to involve Jarod in it.”
“Jarod? How could you not know about a project relating to him? He has always been your responsibility.” Broots frowned in thought. This might involve more than just digging around in some computer files. He dreaded the idea of searching Mr. Raines’ office again. The time he had been trapped there while the desiccated man changed clothes still gave him nightmares.
“I have been informed that Jarod is no longer my concern.” Sydney’s quiet response belied the worry he felt.
Broots’ eyes widened in shock. “They can’t do that, can they? I mean Jarod has never worked without you before. I mean - Sydney, what is going on?”
“That is what I need you to find out.”
****
Miss Parker followed the maitre’ d as he led her to a private dining room in the back of the restaurant. Amazingly, he had told her that her father was already there and had been waiting for her. She couldn’t remember the last time he had been on time for dinner with her. More often than not he was forced to cancel because he had to deal with one problem or another at work.
This place was fairly well known and drew customers from all the surrounding towns. Even this late in the evening the main dining room was nearly at capacity. The ornate chandeliers shed subdued light on diners dressed formally for an evening of French cuisine.
The maitre’ d paused before a set of double doors. He opened one and stepped aside gesturing for Miss Parker to precede him into the small room. A tall, elderly gentleman in a tuxedo sat at a small table with place settings for two people.
Mr. Parker looked up from his menu and stood up to kiss her as they entered the room. “Hello, Angel. You look lovely this evening.”
“Hello Daddy.” Miss Parker returned the kiss and then sat down as the maitre’ d held the chair for her.
“Would you like something to drink before dinner, Madam? Sir?”
“Champagne, “ Mr. Parker replied with a smile. “The best you have. We are celebrating.”
“Very well, sir.” The polite acknowledgment was accompanied by a small bow as the man backed out of the room closing the door softly behind him.
Miss Parker frowned as she perused the menu. Why did Daddy always have to choose to eat at French restaurants? There were several places closer to the Centre that would have done just as well. The food here was good but hardly worth an hour’s drive just for dinner.
“Angel, are you okay?”
“I’m fine Daddy.” Miss Parker looked up from the menu meeting her father’s intense stare. “Why do you ask?”
“You look upset. Is something bothering you?”
“No, Daddy. It’s just that French restaurants always remind me of Mama.” Miss Parker blinked in surprise at her response. Why had she said that?
Mr. Parker sighed and looked around the room. “Yes, I know what you mean. Your mother loved this place. She dragged me out here nearly every week when you were little. They sat us back here because they were afraid a small child couldn’t behave with proper decorum.” Mr. Parker finally returned his gaze to his daughter with a proud smile. “You always proved them wrong though. Once they realized how well behaved you were they wanted to seat us in the main room but Catherine refused to hear of it. By then she said we had established a family ritual and would not allow anyone to break it. One night we waited over two hours for this room to become available.” Mr. Parker chuckled at the memory. “You were so hungry she finally asked the maitre’ d to bring you a snack from the kitchen. After that, we always remembered to call ahead.”
The younger woman sat still trying to remember the scene her father had painted. “Mama said she needed to come here so she could practice her French.”
Mr. Parker nodded agreement. “Not that she needed the practice, of course. Catherine spoke the language fluently. It’s a shame she never taught you.”
“I did manage to learn one or two other languages, Daddy.” Miss Parker answered dryly and returned her gaze to the menu.
Her father chuckled. “More than that, if I remember correctly. Your tutors were always surprised how quickly you picked up a new language. That skill has served you well over the years. You were always my first choice when we needed help overseas.”
Miss Parker schooled her face to stillness and kept her eyes firmly fastened on the menu in front of her. Working for the Centre had always meant more time spent on the road than at home no matter how often she asked for a permanent position in Blue Cove. Even in Corporate she had seemed to rotate from one satellite location to another with only short stretches spent at the main office. Ironically, in the last few years since Jarod’s escape she had spent more time at home than ever before, despite Jarod sending her on wild goose chases all over the country.
The soft murmur of dinner conversations entered the room as a waiter opened the door and presented her father with a bottle of chilled champagne. At a nod from the older man the waiter carefully popped the cork and poured two glasses of clear, sparkling liquid.
Replacing the bottle in a large silver bowl filled with ice on the table the waiter politely inquired if they were ready to order.
“Two orders of Filet Mignon.” Mr. Parker informed the man and dismissed him.
As the double doors closed behind the waiter, Mr. Parker returned his attention to his daughter. “So how do you feel, Angel, now that you have finally recaptured Jarod?”
Miss Parker smiled faintly at the question. “Relieved.”
Her father laughed at the response. “Well, baby, I’ll admit I am glad to finally have the Triumvirate off my back too. Now things can return to the way there supposed be.”
“And how are they supposed to be Daddy?”
Miss Parker almost missed the frown that appeared on her father’s face and then disappeared behind another smile. “Well, for one thing a father can toast his daughter’s success with champagne.” Mr. Parker lifted his glass and extended it toward his daughter. “To you, Angel.”
The sound of crystal chiming filled the small room as the two glasses touched softly over the table.
Miss Parker sipped at her drink then returned it to its position on the table. “Daddy, the reason I wanted to speak to you today was to ask you about our deal.”
“Our deal, Angel?” Mr. Parker looked at his daughter in confusion.
“Yes, Daddy. Our deal.” The answer was firm and clear. “About Jarod. About me leaving the Centre once he was back.”
“Angel, do we have to discuss this now? Jarod just returned yesterday. Surely, this can wait a week or two until things have settled down a little. You know how tense everything is right now. I could use your help. Just this afternoon I received a call from our Mexico City office. Someone broke into their warehouse and stole some highly sensitive documents.”
Miss Parker almost groaned aloud. She hadn’t really expected him to just let her walk away but surely he wasn’t thinking of sending her to work south of the border.
“Daddy I really need a break. I don’t think I’d be much help in Mexico right now.” Miss Parker fixed her gaze on her father. “You promised once this was over I could go.”
“Of course, you’re free to go Angel. You know I would never break my word to you. In a couple of months when the Centre has returned to it’s routine you can do whatever you wish. But I could really use you here now, baby. You and your brother are the only ones I can trust.”
Parker picked up her champagne to hide a grimace. Daddy had already extended her departure from one week to at least two months and when that time was up she was sure another problem would arise. There was always something only she could handle. Well, she hadn’t really expected anything else from this evening but she at least had to make an effort to leave. Otherwise, the powers that be would wonder why she had insisted on the deal in the first place.
She sipped from her drink and smiled regretfully at her father. “Well, I suppose a few days won’t matter. If things are really that tough right now.”
Mr. Parker’s smile was much less reserved. “Excellent. I knew I could count on you. I will send you the files on Mexico City tomorrow. Once you review them I’m sure you’ll be able to point our people down there in the right direction.”
Miss Parker finished off her drink. If she couldn’t figure this out from the files she was sure a first class ticket would be purchased for her soon enough. Maybe even the corporate jet if Daddy was being honest about how important this was. Hopefully, the waiter would return with dinner before she drank too much champagne. She would need a clear head tomorrow.
****
Jarod stretched out on the small bed and tried to figure out how he had ended up back in the one place in the world he did not want to be. Obviously he had made a mistake, but where? The only clue to his whereabouts had been the package he had mailed to Miss Parker and that shouldn’t arrive for another two days. Tracking down his location from that would have been relatively easy but how could she have gotten her hands on the information early?
Jarod shook his head and resisted the urge to get up and pace. He couldn’t walk more than three steps in these quarters. Theoretically, it was possible to track any person’s mail once it had been scanned into a delivery companies’ computers. Miss Parker lacked the technical knowledge but she could have assigned the project to Broots. Every simulation he had run on this possibility revealed that his current system of mail distribution should have been safe for at least another six months.
Something must have happened to inspire the idea in his opponent before it would have occurred to her normally. Something that required his presence at the Centre and that superceded the quest for information about Catherine Parker’s activities before the murder. Miss Parker should have lacked the deep motivation to track him down, certainly her search the past year or two had been lack-luster at best. At some point, the rules to this game had changed and he needed to know what the new ones were.
A smile hovered at the corners of Jarod’s mouth as he remembered another occasion a long time ago when Miss Parker had changed the rules of the game. She had shown up in the Sim Lab full of energy wanting to spend some time with her friend. Sydney had produced a chess game from his office and the two children spent the next hour playing each other.
Jarod’s small smile disappeared as he remembered the frustration in that little girl’s eyes as she realized that her king was checkmated for the third time in as many games…
“It just isn’t fair, Jarod. You always win.” Miss Parker glared at her opponent over the chessboard.
Jarod frowned thoughtfully as he began resetting the pieces. “I’m sorry, Miss Parker. I would let you win but the last time I did that you threatened to wrestle me to the ground and tickle me into submission.”
“And I will if you patronize me like that again!” The young girl folded her arms across her chest and sat up straight fixing her eyes on the boy in front of her. “I will never get any better if you let me win. I won’t learn anything. I don’t mind losing as long you play honestly.”
Jarod bit his lip to refrain from pointing out that she wasn’t exactly amicable about losing three games today. He didn’t think her quicksilver temper improved whether she won or lost. Maybe he could find a way to lose without her realizing he had thrown the game. Maybe they shouldn’t play chess.
“Have you ever played speed chess before?”
Jarod looked up in surprise at the question. “Speed chess?”
“Yeah, it’s the same as regular chess but you have to move your pieces very quickly. You only get a small amount of time to make each move. Do you want to try?”
“Sure.”
“I’ll see if Sydney has a clock we can use. I bet he does. He is a real chess freak.” Miss Parker jumped up from the table and disappeared into Sydney’s office. She reappeared a moment later with a small box that contained two small clocks and a switch on the top to track each player’s time.
Setting the small box next to the chessboard she perched on the edge of her chair and smiled in excitement. “As soon as you make your move just hit the switch and my clock will start to run. I’ll do the same thing to start your clock. You can go first. Okay?”
Jarod nodded as he considered the new twist on a game he had played for years. “Okay.”
He moved a pawn up to free his bishop opening the game. After he tapped the switch setting the clock in motion, Miss Parker quickly grabbed her own pawn. Moving it forward in classic defense, she prevented him from using his bishops to trap her king. She slammed her hand on the switch and grinned. “Your turn.”
Jarod shook his head in confusion and ended his next move with another tap on the clock. Once again Miss Parker barely paused as she responded and slapped the switch.
“Come on Jarod, you can do better than that. Play the game.”
Jarod countered Miss Parker’s move immediately and tripped the switch only to lose a pawn. Frowning, he brought out a knight and watched as Miss Parker moved another pawn out.
“Did you forget the rules, Jarod? Even Angelo could do better than this!”
Jarod studied the board and tried to ignore the taunts. What had gotten into her? She never played like this. Seeing that his time was running out he moved the knight again.
A dozen plays later he watched as Miss Parker moved her queen to the right side of the board.
“Check, Jarod!” She leaned over the table and looked at him expectantly.
He reached for a bishop to block the queen and stopped. “That isn’t check, it is checkmate.” His eyes narrowed in suspicion as he realized he had lost. “You cheated!”
“I did not!” Miss Parker jumped up and glared angrily at her vanquished opponent. “I won fair and square!”
“You did cheat!” Jarod’s voice rose and he matched her glare. “You didn’t tell me all the rules.”
“I did so! I said the rules are the same except for the clock and they are. You are just a sore loser!” They were both yelling now. “I lost a hundred times and never accused you of cheating.”
“What is going in here?” Sydney’s deep voice interrupted the argument.
Both children turned to the older man and concurrently began to explain the situation.
“Nothing. I just beat Jarod at chess. He can’t stand losing.”
“She didn’t explain the differences between the chess and speed chess completely. She won because she cheated.”
“I did tell him everything. It isn’t my fault he didn’t play well enough to win.”
Sydney held up his hand to forestall the continuing and overlapping stream of accusations. “You two are screaming like this over a game of chess?”
Jarod opened his mouth to respond but the psychiatrist overrode him. He fixed a stern eye on the boy. “Young man, you know that Miss Parker would not cheat and you shouldn’t accuse her of something like that.”
The young woman in question straightened her shoulders and sent a pointed look at her accuser. Sydney turned to her and looked down in disapproval. “And as for you, young lady. In the future, I would suggest playing a practice game to allow your opponent to get a feel for the game. You know better than that.”
Sydney paused and studied the two sullen faces in front of him. “Since the two of you seem unable to play together nicely, you will spend the rest of the afternoon cleaning the lab.” He nodded his head toward the small closet in the corner of the room. “There are plenty of supplies in there. I suggest you get to work.”
Miss Parker lifted her chin and planted her hands on her hips. “Sydney, you have got to be kidding. I am a Parker. I do not mop floors.”
The older man folded his arms across his chest. “Perhaps Jarod will let you scrub the cabinets then. Unless, you would prefer that I discuss this incident with your father. I am sure he will come up with a response appropriate for a Parker in your situation.”
Miss Parker swallowed nervously and glanced at the door. “You don’t have to talk to Daddy. I am sure Jarod and I will work something out.”
…Jarod smiled again as he remembered the wrinkled fingers they had both ended up with after scrubbing down every cabinet and table in the Sim Lab. Miss Parker never did mop the floor but she had swept it.
She had changed the rules of the game that day and won. She had done it again yesterday but this time she hadn’t been interested in anything as simple as chess. The question was what was she trying to win this time? He had to know or he risked falling into another trap.
****
Broots stared at the monitor in front of him, impatiently tapping the desk with a pencil. He couldn’t find Sydney anywhere and Miss Parker was not answering her pager. Somebody really needed to know what was going on...other than those who already did, of course. The only good thing about this morning so far was that he hadn’t needed to search Mr. Raines’ office again.
Broots sighed and turned off the monitor. Picking up a manila folder he hurried out the door. Sydney had to return to his office soon and when he did he was going to find a very impatient geek waiting for him.
****
Jarod looked up in surprise as the door to his cell opened. Willie stepped in to the room while two other men watched intently from just outside the door. The sweeper held up a pair of handcuffs and motioned Jarod to turn around.
Jarod tried to sound calm as the restraints clicked into place around his wrists. “Willie, if you came to take me out to breakfast, you’re too late. I just had some wheat grass and tomato juice about half an hour ago. I appreciate the thought though.”
Willie smiled at the comment and guided his prisoner out into the hallway. “Don’t worry about that Jarod. I am sure Mr. Raines has other things on his mind besides lunch.”
The color drained from Jarod’s face as they walked down the corridor. Jarod had promised himself after the first escape never to work for the Centre again. There was no doubt in his mind that Mr. Raines would order an execution today if Jarod did not capitulate. There must be a way to keep that promise and still live through the afternoon. Somehow, he had to find it and find it quickly.
****
Broots jumped out of Sydney’s desk chair as the older man walked into his office and looked around in confusion.
“Broots, what are you doing here?”
Broots crossed the room and shoved a manila folder under the psychiatrists nose. “Where have you been? I have been looking everywhere for you?”
“I have been trying to talk Mr. Parker into letting me speak with Jarod but to no avail. What is this?”
“You asked me look into Mr. Raines’ new project, remember? This is what I found.”
Sydney opened the folder and perused its’ contents. “This is a request to restock the Sim Lab and open it for use.” Sydney frowned as he considered the implications of the paper. “No one has used that room for Simulations since Jarod left. How does Raines think he can convince Jarod to cooperate?”
Broots shook his head at Sydney’s question. “I don’t know but look at what else is in there.”
Sydney flipped the page and examined the next piece of paper. “A copy of Raines’ schedule for today. He has a meeting set for the Sim Lab in 5 minutes with someone referred to as Jane Doe. That is obviously not Jarod. Whom is he meeting with?”
“I don’t know that either but I just checked and Jarod was removed from his cell less than 10 minutes ago. I think he is going to the Sim Lab to meet with Raines and whoever this Jane Doe is. I tried to find Miss Parker but she is not in her office. Syd, what are we going to do? Jarod won’t do simulations for the Centre again. There is no telling how Raines will respond to that. Jarod could die.”
Sydney closed the folder and handed it back to his friend. “Destroy this folder and go home. You shouldn’t be involved in this.”
The computer expert froze in surprise at Sydney’s response. “No way, Syd. I am already involved in this. Whatever you have in mind you will need all the help you can get.”
“This could be dangerous and you have a daughter to protect. Go home.”
Broots crossed his arms defiantly. “I teach my daughter to be loyal to her friends. How would I face her if I abandoned you? I’m staying.”
Sydney shook his head and sighed heavily. “Very well. Let’s go.”
“Where are we going?”
“The Sim Lab, where else?”
Broots swallowed nervously. Maybe he should have gone home after all.
****
Miss Parker sighed as she closed the laptop computer and flicked the power switch. Things were going very quickly now and she had no more time to prepare. With luck, no one would be able to figure what she had done this morning…except Jarod, of course. That man seemed to know everything she did.
One small problem had turned up yesterday that she hadn’t anticipated. She would have to take care of that personally. Miss Parker sat still and folded her hands together on the desk to make her first prayer in over two decades. She hoped no offense would be taken, after all, she wasn’t praying for herself. Surely, the God her mother had talked about so many years ago would understand.
****
Broots nervously followed Sydney into the Sim Lab trying to look as inconspicuous as possible. Mr. Raines was already there with Willie and two other sweepers standing guard over a handcuffed and worried looking Jarod.
Sydney strode across the room and stopped next to his protégée. “Jarod, are you all right?”
Jarod opened his mouth to respond but Raines cut him off. “Sydney, what are you doing here? You were told to stay away from the pretender.”
Sydney smiled and casually put his hands into his jacket pockets. “I came to observe the new direction you intend to take with simulations. I must admit you have piqued my interest. Of course, I shall offer you any assistance I can.”
“Of course you will.” Mr. Raines growled and then turned to the door as it opened again.
Miss Parker strode in and crossed the room to stand next to Broots. “I see I haven’t missed anything yet. Is everything ready?”
Broots looked at his boss in shock. “Miss Parker, you are Jane Doe? How could you be involved in this?” Even in a whisper the disappointment in his tone was impossible to miss.
Miss Parker hard glare silenced her questioner. Folding her arms across her chest, Miss Parker turned to confront Mr. Raines. “Well, do we have to wait all day?”
Raines looked at the trio in exasperation and then turned to address Jarod. “It is time for you to return to work, Jarod. Playtime is over.”
Jarod shook his head and glared at his captors. “I am not working for the Centre any more. No one will abuse my simulations ever again.”
Raines smiled cruelly and motioned to Willie who spoke quietly into intercom. A moment later the door opened a third time and Sam walked in escorting a young, redheaded woman incongruously clothed in a brand new pair of jeans and a shiny Washington Redskins jersey.
Jarod froze in shock as he recognized someone he had spent the last few years searching fruitlessly for. “Emily?”
The woman looked apologetically at the man in handcuffs. “I’m sorry, Jarod. I was careless. I received a message I thought was from you but…” Her voice trailed off helplessly. “I never imagined I would meet my brother like this.”
“NO!” Jarod shouted and struggled uselessly against his bonds. “Raines, you bastard! Let her go! She doesn’t belong here!”
Raines walked over to a nearby table and picked up a small pile of folders. “Now I think we can begin the first simulation.” He returned to stand in front of Jarod and extended the first folder. “Unless you need a further demonstration of the Centre’s abilities, Jarod?”
“You bastard.” Jarod repeated quietly. He turned his gaze to his mentor and pleaded silently.
Sydney reached out and snagged the folder from Mr. Raines and began examining the contents. “Raines, this is a simulation for an assassination. You cannot expect him to do this for you.”
The former doctor glared at his rival as retrieved the folder. “Sydney, if you wish to observe you will do so quietly. I will not allow you to interfere.”
“Mr. Raines, you are compromising Jarod’s value as a pretender. This is not a good idea.”
“Willie,” Raines’ raspy voice seemed loud in the sudden silence. ”Take the doctor to his office and ensure that he remains there for the rest of the day.”
Sydney looked from Raines to Willie and back again. “You cannot be serious. The tower will not stand for this.”
As Willie reached for Sydney’s arm the room suddenly went dark and the vents stilled as the power failed.
Miss Parker’s calm voice rang out the darkness. “No one move. The emergency power will come on-line automatically in a minute.”
Broots frowned as he listened to the command that came out of the darkness to his right. Hadn’t Miss Parker been standing to his left a moment ago? Maybe she had disobeyed her own command? That would be just like her.
The sounds of a scuffle filled the room and then Willie called out for help. “It’s Jarod. He is trying to escape!”
“Stop him!” Raines tried to shout but ended in a fit of coughing.
Broots heard a grunt and a thud then the emergency lights came to life illuminating the lab in a dim, red glow. Broots looked to see Miss Parker standing on his left and the sweepers lying in a pile on the floor. He shook his head in confusion.
“Where’s Jarod?” Sydney asked worriedly looking at the sweepers who struggled to rise without becoming more entangled in each other.
Broots looked around the room and noticed something else. “Sydney, where is Emily?”
Raines hurriedly scanned the lab and turned to Willie. “Find them both! NOW!”
Miss Parker snatched a radio from one of the sweepers and began barking orders to Centre security. “Seal off the Sim Lab and the levels directly above and below it. Jarod has escaped.” She paused and motioned Willie and his sweepers to join the search before issuing her next command. “And make sure he can’t get into the air ducts again!”
Slipping the radio into her pocket she drew her gun and released the safety. “Sydney. Broots. You two stay here with Raines and Sam. Jarod may try to double back.” Three long strides took her out of the lab and out into the hall.
Broots shivered as she disappeared into the darkness and turned back to the psychiatrist. “Syd, what else can go wrong today?”
****
Jarod pushed his sister into the stairwell as the emergency lights finally activated cursing the cuffs on his hands. “We need to get away from here.”
Emily held up a small key in one hand and reached for his wrist with the other. “First, we need to get you out of those.” Jarod looked in amazement as she unlocked the restraints and put them in her pocket. “They might come in handy later.” She explained with a nervous smile.
Jarod returned the smile and then gave her a big hug. “I am so glad to finally meet you.” He held her at arms length to check for injuries then grabbed her hand and began to lead her back in to the hall.
“We can’t go that way Jarod!” Emily exclaimed. “We need to go up.”
Jarod stopped and looked at her. “There is no way out up there, Emily. The sweepers will be guarding all the stairwell exits.”
The young woman stood her ground defiantly. “Up Jarod. She said to go to the roof.”
“She?”
“Miss Parker. She gave me the key for the handcuffs and said to get to the roof,” Emily insisted.
“She gave you the key? When?” Jarod asked incredulously looking nervously at the surveillance camera. Luckily, emergency power did not include the security system but this power outage could not last long. Soon the backup generator would start and all the systems would come back up. He was surprised it hadn’t happened yet.
Emily nodded and began to pull him up the stairs. “When the lights went out and you were struggling with the guards. She put the key in my hand, said to get to the roof and then pushed me into you. Hurry. We don’t have much time.”
Jarod shook his head as he followed his little sister. Miss Parker had certainly changed the rules this time. At least he knew why she had suddenly become so determined to catch him. She must have known Emily was in the hands of the Centre and needed his help to get the younger woman out. Jarod just hoped that his old friend had a good plan to get them safely away. If he and Emily were caught on the roof there would be no place left to run.
****
Sydney studied the empty lab for a moment and then turned and began to walk toward the door. Broots hurried to catch up with him. “Where are you going? Miss Parker said to wait here in case Jarod came back.”
“Broots, “ Sydney explained patiently, “Jarod is not coming back here. We need to find him before someone gets hurt.”
“We?” Broots asked nervously trying to see down the corridor in the dim light.
Sydney smiled at his younger friend. “You’re the one who wanted to come, remember?”
Broots groaned aloud and then jumped as Sam spoke up from behind him.
“Do you have any idea where he would have gone, Doctor?”
Sydney sighed and shook his head. “No. What would the logical thing be, Sam?”
Sam shrugged. “The nearest exit from the building. He needs to get away from the surveillance system.”
“Is there anyplace within the building that he could hide from the cameras?”
Sam shook his head. “Not for long. Where we don’t have video cameras we have motion detectors, heat sensors, things like that. My guess would be the parking garage. If he could get there before the power came back up he could hide in a car.”
Sydney looked at Broots who shook his head helplessly. “I don’t have any better ideas Syd. Sam is right. Jarod needs to hide quickly. The parking garage is as good a place as any.”
“Lead the way Sam, and hope for the best.”
****
Miss Parker cursed as she opened the door to the stairwell and began to run toward the roof. Everything had taken too long. She had set up the search for Jarod; conveniently looking in all the wrong places first if Emily had listened to the instructions. If not, then Jarod and his baby sister would have to find another way out alone.
Unfortunately, people had continued to search her out, looking for orders, making reports, and in general getting in the way. Finally, she had put Willie in charge using the excuse she needed to check on the power. Amazingly, it still hadn’t come back on. She had never dreamed it would be out this long. Maybe God had answered her prayer.
Now, though, none of that mattered. She had to get to the roof or Jarod and Emily would never leave the Centre alive. The small problem that she had discovered the day before seemed to loom larger and larger.
****
Roger shook his head in amazement as he saw the figure enter the stairwell. An opportunity like this would not come again. Without power in the building the security cameras were off and the woman who had interrupted his tryst a few days before was alone and vulnerable. For that little bit of fun she had transferred him from a cushy desk job to maintaining the Centre’s compost heap. Until three days ago, he hadn’t even known the Centre had such a thing and now he made three trips a day with a small truck piled high with garbage that needed to decompose.
They had taken his weapon when they had transferred him from security but a good Centre employee always had at least one spare. Roger drew a Berretta out from under his jacket and began to follow the female figure running up the stairs. All he needed was one good shot and his revenge would be complete.
****
Jarod surveyed the helicopter pad from behind a small door that led to the roof. There appeared to be only one guard who split his time between staring nervously at the elevator and checking the small helicopter that was Jarod’s only hope of leaving the Centre a free man. If Miss Parker had arranged his and Emily’s escape either she had overlooked this sweeper or counted on him to deal with the problem. Luckily, the guard seemed unaware of the small stairwell that had brought the two fugitives to the top of the building. Before the addition of the helicopter pad twenty years earlier, the stairwell had been the only way up here. But the executives using the company helicopter had needed an easier way to reach the roof and so the elevator and a new, larger staircase had been added. The original means of access had long since been forgotten. A quick look to his left revealed Emily to be in position behind a small supply shed and waiting for him to move. Taking a deep breath Jarod stepped out from behind the door and began running toward the guard.
Hearing the sound of shoes slapping the hard concrete the sweeper turned around and saw the pretender coming straight for him. Raising the pistol in his right hand the man fired a warning shot into the air.
“Freeze! Don’t move Jarod. I don’t want to hurt you.”
Jarod stopped running and raised his hands in the air. “Don’t shoot. I’m unarmed.”
The guard kept his weapon trained on the prisoner and watched Jarod uneasily. “On the ground. Hands behind your head.”
Jarod kept his hands in the air and didn’t move. “Look, you don’t have to do this. I can make it worth your while to let me go.”
The guard stared at Jarod incredulously. “I like breathing even more than I like money Jarod. On the ground. Now.”
Intent on his prisoner the man never saw, the young woman who crept up behind him. One swing of a well-worn wooden board that had been used several times that afternoon for the same purpose rendered him unconscious.
“Is he alive?” Emily lowered the impromptu weapon and watched as Jarod examined her victim.
“He’ll live.” Jarod declared rising to his feet. “Get in the helicopter. We need to leave now.”
The siblings ran over to the helicopter and climbed aboard. Jarod handed a pair of protective headphones to his sister and ordered her to put them on as he started the engines. As they prepared to lift off, Jarod looked at his sister with a grin on his face.
“We may get out of here yet.”
“While you fly us home, big brother. I am going to play solitaire.” Emily laughed and held up a laptop computer meaningfully.
Jarod stared at her in amazement. “How did you get that?”
“From the same person who gave me the key for your handcuffs, I assume. It was on the floor of helicopter. I noticed it when we got in.” Carefully laying the machine on her lap, she opened the cover and the computer sprang to life. Emily examined the small screen as the helicopter slowly rose from the roof. “She thought of everything Jarod. This even has a connection to the Internet via satellite.”
Jarod shared a long look with his sister before returning his gaze to the sky. Turning the helicopter toward Washington DC, he planned their escape oblivious to danger that lurked behind him.
****
Miss Parker burst on to the roof with a 9mm Lady Smith and Wesson held desperately in one hand just as the helicopter rose into the air. A body lay sprawled on the ground a few yards from the small supply shed that contained tools, spare parts, and one other small problem. Parker started running toward the structure just as another sweeper emerged from inside holding something large and bulky in his hands. Parker cursed loudly as he knelt on the concrete and raised a SAM launcher to his shoulder but her shout went unheard in the noise from the chopper. Stopping suddenly and dropping to one knee she raised the weapon to fire when the sound of a shot rang out from behind her. The man in front of her toppled to the ground but not before he triggered the missile aimed at the two fugitives in the air.
****
Roger cursed as his first shot missed when Miss Parker suddenly knelt down. She had aimed her weapon at the sweeper holding the SAM launcher as if she intended to shoot him but surely that had been a coincidence. She must have been aiming at the fleeing helicopter. At any rate, the unfortunate sweeper had taken the bullet intended to eliminate the Centre heiress and now she was trying to escape her just punishment. Roger stepped right to get a better angle and resumed firing.
****
Parker had no time to worry over the fate of the pair in the helicopter as two more bullets bounced off the concrete to her right. Rolling left, Parker attempted to bring up her weapon and return fire. She lined up a large man with unkempt, blond hair and a janitor’s uniform in her sights and squeezed the trigger just as pain exploded in her left side. Watching the man crumple to the ground, Parker’s last conscious thought was of amazement that she would not die in an elevator after all.
****
Jarod saw the flash from roof out of the corner of his eye and immediately dove left in an attempt to evade the incoming missile. Emily gasped as the projectile passed by a few feet from her door and crashed into the woods below.
“Will we have to worry about any more of those, Jarod?” Emily’s face was white but her voice was steady as she looked questioningly at her brother.
“I hope not.” Jarod’s grim reply did little to allay her fears as the helicopter continued flying close to the ground. “If we stay low, they shouldn’t be able get a lock on us.”
Emily returned her gaze to the computer screen in her lap and answered as nonchalantly as possible. “Well, just remember to avoid telephone poles. The last thing we need is for Ma Bell to be angry at us too.”
Jarod laughed nervously. “I will keep that in mind little sister. See if you can book us on a few flights out of Dulles International. We wouldn’t want too make things to easy for our pursuers.”
****
Sydney shook his head in exasperation as Broots and Sam rejoined him after another fruitless search in front of the elevators. “This is useless. If Jarod is down here we will never find him this way. We’ve tried three levels in the garage and the only thing we’ve been able to find is a mechanic having a tryst with a female sweeper in a maintenance closet.”
Broots ducked his head as his face flushed in embarrassment at the memory. “Thanks again for helping me out, Sam. That woman was extremely angry with me for opening the door.” He rubbed his jaw where a bruise was already beginning to appear. “She sure does have a good right jab.”
“Next time, remember to duck. The women around here are very dangerous.” Sam chuckled and turned to Sydney. “Perhaps we should check the security cameras now that the power has returned.”
The older man frowned and pressed the up arrow to signal for an elevator. “No. I doubt we will see anything that the sweepers missed. We need to find Miss Parker. If the Centre does recapture Jarod and Emily she will know about it before any of us.”
Sam bit his lip nervously as the doors opened and the trio entered. “Do you think that is a good idea, Syd? She is not likely to be in a good mood after this.”
“At this point Sam, I am not sure there is anything else we can do.”
****
On the roof, four bodies lay motionless as a furtive figure crept out from behind a large air vent. Running across the now empty helicopter pad he stopped at the side of a brown haired woman stretched out on the concrete. A loud wail emerged from his mouth as he saw the blood pooled around her torso. Kneeling slowly beside her, he pressed an ear to her chest then began searching her pockets excitedly. In her left jacket pocket he found a small cellular phone and flipped it open. After activating the speed dial, he raised the unit to his ear and began to whisper hopefully.
“Answer phone. Need help. Answer.”
****
Sydney jumped as the phone in his pocket suddenly started to ring. Uncharacteristically nervous, he fumbled with the phone and nearly dropped it on the floor of the elevator before finally answering.
“Hello.”
A terrified voice on the other end of the connection filled him with dread. “Need help. Doctor come quick.”
“Angelo!” Sydney’s voice rose in fear. “What is wrong?”
“Daughter. Blood. Doctor come.”
The elevator stopped and the doors opened but none of the three men inside moved. A small group of people waited impatiently for them to exit as Broots and Sam exchanged worried looks.
“Angelo, where are you?”
“Roof. Hurry. Hurry.”
Sydney looked at Broots and covered the mouthpiece with his hand. “Angelo is on the roof with Miss Parker and it sounds like she is hurt.”
Sam motioned the group outside the doors to wait for the next car and Broots pressed the button to take them to roof.
“We are coming Angelo.” Sydney closed the phone and turned off the power. The doors slid shut and the elevator slowly rose as three pairs of eyes impatiently looked at the row of lights above the door. Numbers blinked on and off until the car finally reached the roof and the doors opened again.
A figure stood and waved frantically as the three men ran across the rooftop. Kneeling beside the injured woman, Sydney began to examine the wound.
“Broots, call the infirmary. Have them send up a gurney and prepare for emergency surgery. Sam check the other two. See if they are still alive and bring me the emergency first aid kit.”
Sam nodded and hurried to obey the orders. Broots knelt beside his friend and looked at the blood that stained her clothes. “Sydney, will she be okay?”
The older man frowned and pressed a makeshift bandage to the wound. “I hope so, Mr. Broots. I hope so.”
****
Jarod looked over at his sister as she slept on the only bed in their cramped hotel room. Tomorrow, he would find something better but for now they were safest here. Escaping from the Centre had worn them both out and traveling for 12 hours in car hadn’t given them a chance to sleep much. With any luck, their pursuers would still be checking all the flights out of Dulles that Emily had booked. Instead they had taken a taxicab to the nearest auto dealership, purchased a new Buick Skylark and started west. They had changed cars twice since then and Jarod was finally beginning to feel safe.
Still he couldn’t sleep. Miss Parker had orchestrated most of the escape and ever since they started driving he had tried to reach her. Repeated calls to her home, office, and cell phones had all gone unanswered. Hoping to discover news of her whereabouts he had called Sydney’s number but a recorded message from the cellular company had informed him that Sydney’s phone had been turned off.
Staring at the phone Jarod decided to try another tactic. Dialing yet another number he heard it ring and sighed gratefully as a male voice answered the phone.
“Hello?”
“Broots, this is Jarod.”
Jarod heard surprise in Broots’ reply. “Jarod, why are you calling me?”
“I have been trying to reach Miss Parker and Sydney but they are not answering. Is everything okay?”
The voice on the other end suddenly got very soft. “You mean you don’t know?”
“Know what?” Jarod gripped the phone tightly and sat up straight. “What happened?”
“We found Miss Parker on the roof of the Centre with three other men. One was unconscious from a blow to the back of the head and the other two dead from bullet wounds. Miss Parker… “ Broots choked on the last word and his voice trailed off.
“Miss Parker what? Tell me!” Jarod’s worry filled voice woke his sister who sat up and looked at him questioningly.
“She was shot. Sam said one of the dead men was named Roger Corman. She had some trouble with him a few days ago and had him transferred to the sanitation crew. Apparently, he wanted revenge and followed her to the roof. He killed the other sweeper and shot Miss Parker before she was able to stop him.”
Emily moved to the edge of the bed and reached over to take his hand. Jarod squeezed her fingers lightly and spoke again. “Broots, is she all right?”
“I don’t know Jarod. Sydney is still talking to the doctors. She is out of surgery now but she hasn’t woken up yet. She lost a lot of blood and no one is sure if she’ll survive.”
Jarod pulled his sister close to him and put his arm around her for comfort. “Tell Sydney to turn on his phone okay? I will call him later.”
“I will, Jarod. Are the two of you all right?”
“Yes, thanks.” Jarod hung up the phone and buried his face in Emily’s shoulder.
“Jarod, what happened to Miss Parker?” Emily hugged him tightly. “Please tell me.”
“She was on the roof of the Centre. I think she went there to cover our escape. A fellow employee had a grudge against her for transferring him to an unsavory position and wanted revenge.” Jarod voice broke and he paused before resuming his narrative. “He followed her to the roof and shot her and another sweeper. Miss Parker returned fire. The two men are both dead and Miss Parker just got of surgery. They don’t know if she will make it. Bastard.” Jarod swore and wiped his eyes with the back of his hand.
Emily bit her lip as a suspicion formed in the back of her mind. “Jarod, do you know the name of the guy that shot her? The fellow employee?”
Jarod pulled back and looked at his sister’s face. “Roger. Roger Corman. Why?”
“God, help me.” Emily breathed.
“Em, do you know him?”
Emily nodded and pulled away to sit on the edge of the bed. “When I was first captured and brought to the Centre they put me in a cell on sublevel 15. There was a man there in a security guard uniform. The name on the shirt was Roger. He tried – he was going to…anyway that is when I met Miss Parker. She just appeared out of nowhere and stopped him. Roger was furious but looked too scared of her to do anything.”
Jarod sat down next to his sister and held her. “Were you hurt?”
“No, like I said, Miss Parker intervened. I never saw Roger again. Later a guy named Sam showed up with some dinner and these clothes. He said Miss Parker had asked him to check up on me. He made sure I didn’t have any more trouble.” Emily clutched her brother tightly. “I don’t want to think about what might have happened if she hadn’t arrived when she did.”
“It’s okay. You’re safe now.” Jarod stroked his sister’s hair and tried to reassure her.
“I know. But Miss Parker’s not. She was shot trying to protect me again. Protecting us.” Emily let the tears flow down her face unchecked. “I wish there was something I could do to help her. I owe her.”
“So do I, Emily. So do I.”
****
Broots sat holding his sleeping daughter in his lap while they waited in silence for Miss Parker to awaken. The Centre had put the Chairman’s daughter in the largest private room the hospital had but with five people inside it seemed cramped. For a woman who insisted she did not have any friends she had an awful lot of people worried about her.
Sydney had refused to leave her side, even up to observing the surgery. Broots had waited outside with Sam and Angelo nearly five hours. When the doctors had finally returned the news had not been very encouraging. They had removed the bullet successfully but she had lost a lot of blood and they weren’t sure if she would make it. There was nothing to do but wait. If she made it through the night her chances would improve greatly.
Broots had called Debbie to arrange for her to stay the night with her godmother but when the girl had found out what happened she had insisted on coming to the hospital. Broots had tried to talk her out it but she would not be dissuaded. So he had picked her up and brought her in to wait with the four men in the darkened hospital room.
Every few hours a nurse appeared and tried to talk them all into going home but no one did. Angelo curled up on the floor and Debbie stretched out on the small couch with her head resting on her father’s lap. They were the only ones able to sleep. Sydney sat in the only chair holding his cell phone clutched in one hand waiting anxiously for Jarod to call again. Sam just stood next to the window and watched the traffic flow by outside.
Another nurse walked in followed by a tall doctor in green scrubs and a surgical mask. Broots squinted at the pair in the dim light. Something about them seemed familiar.
The doctor walked over to Miss Parker and laid his hand gently on her cheek. “How is she doing, Sydney?”
“Jarod!” Sydney sprang to his feet in amazement. “What are you doing here?”
The nurse shut the door and stepped over to Jarod’s side and touched his arm. “We had to know if she is okay.”
“Emily! You’re here too.” Sydney shook his head. “You should not have come.”
Sam left his position by the window and stood on the opposite side of the bed, studying the newly arrived pair suspiciously. Sydney saw the movement and laid a reassuring hand on the younger man’s shoulder.
“How is she doing?” Jarod repeated quietly.
“She still hasn’t woken.” Broots replied as his daughter sat up and looked around in confusion.
“Well, we have a little time to wait.” Jarod sat down on the floor next Angelo and his sister joined him. “She will wake soon.”
Broots couldn’t tell if Jarod believed his own words or not.
****
The first thing Miss Parker became aware of was the voices. Two deep, male voices arguing back and forth.
“I’m not leaving. Not until she wakes.” The deep voice seemed familiar but Parker couldn’t remember why.
“It’s not safe. You’ve been here too long already.” This voice sounded older and worried.
“We’re staying.” The answer was calm but no less worried.
“But…” The response trailed off in frustration. Sydney. That was the name of the older man. Parker tried to open her eyes, sure that if she could see the face of the second man she would recognize him too. Her eyelids fluttered but in the dim light all she saw was shadows.
“Oh my God.” That was the younger man again. Parker tried to focus on the shadow that suddenly moved toward her and hovered over the bed. “Miss Parker, are you awake?”
She tried to respond but her dry throat refused to speak. Someone poured a few drops of water on her tongue, which seemed to help.
“Miss Parker, can you hear me?” That was the same familiar voice again.
“Jarod.” The answer emerged as a hoarse whisper.
The room seemed to explode with noise as everyone began to speak at once. Parker closed her eyes to block out the excited movement around her.
“She’s awake!”
“Miss Parker, How do you feel?”
“I’ll get the doctor!”
“Wait, don’t! We have two here already!”
“Quiet! Everyone quiet down!” Jarod’s firm voice cut off the emerging cacophony of sound. Taking her hand he studied her face intently. “How are you feeling?”
“Lousy.” The honest answer caused chuckles from various corners of the room. Opening her eyes fully, she returned his stare. “Why are you here?”
Jarod smiled softly and stroked the back of her hand with his thumb. “To thank you. You took a big chance yesterday. I want you to know I am grateful.” Jarod inclined his head to the young woman at his side. “We both are.”
Parker licked her lips and looked at the glass of water next to her bed longingly. Noticing her stare, Jarod picked up a straw and placed it in the water. Covering the top of the straw with his forefinger, he removed the straw and placed it in her mouth.
“Careful.” When he removed his finger from the end of the straw, the clear liquid dropped into the patient’s mouth. Swallowing reflexively, Miss Parker nodded thanks and closed her eyes again.
Sydney reached out and placed a hand on his protégé’s shoulder. “Jarod she will be okay. You both must leave. Now.”
Jarod nodded and replaced the straw in the glass. “Take care of her, Syd.”
“Of course.”
After tying the surgical mask around his mouth, the pretender took his sister’s hand and started toward the door.
“Jarod.” The tired voice from the bed was little more than a whisper but the pair stopped instantly and turned back toward their friend. “I’m glad you made it out. Both of you.”
Nodding, Jarod picked up his old friend’s hand and squeezed gently. “When you are ready to leave, let me know.”
Sighing, Miss Parker turned her head to the side and looked out the small window. “Not yet.”
Laying her hand back on the bed, Jarod stepped away. Hand in hand, the pretender and his sister strode out of the dark room and into the lighted hallway. Ten minutes later, they drove out of the visitor’s parking lot heading east, straight into the rising sun.
****
A week later Miss Parker strode into her office for the first time since her injury. In the middle of her desk was a plain, brown shipping box with a return address from Fort Wayne, Indiana. Shaking her head in surprise, the impatient woman tore open the package and reached into the Styrofoam peanuts. Her fingers closed around a hard, ceramic statue about twelve inches high. Placing it on the desk next to the box, Miss Parker studied the odd gift with her arms crossed over her chest.
An old man wearing dark blue robes covered with arcane symbols stood on a small pedestal. His left hand clutched a thick tome to his chest while his right hand, raised above his head, held a life size baseball. Parker shook her head at the autographs from minor league baseball players that almost completely covered the ball. The inscription on the ball read “Fort Wayne Wizards, Midwest League - Class A.” Her eyes traveled back down the bearded figure to the base where a question was inscribed on the front in bold letters.
“Do you believe in magic?”
Stepping away from the desk, Miss Parker turned and looked out the window at the green grass that thrived in the spring sunshine and smiled.
The End
