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Chapter or StoryAuthor's Chapter Notes:
Thank you to everyone else who left a review, big hugs to you all. I hope you all enjoy this chapter as much as it seems you have been enjoying the others. And as always, this is co-written by jaccione and onisius.
"No," Jarod said instantly, not wanting Sydney to see him like this, in chains and terrified. He knew it was a stupid fear, knew it was unreasonable, he just couldn't help it. He needed to get himself under control, he couldn’t afford not to be aware right now. This could be just the chance he was waiting for and he had to be focused, ready to move.
"Would you rather me knock you out for the trip then Jarod? You will be safe with the agent." Parker offered. The man was petrified. Parker had always known Jarod had had a fear of the hood, ever since they stole him as a child, but right now they had no choice to use it on him. Parker wouldn’t put it past Lyle to have used it on Jarod earlier on in his stay in the cell’s as a way to control the pretender.
"I tell you what." Byrnes offered, seeing what had to be a phobic reaction, storing that knowledge away. It might prove useful later. "We won't put it on until we absolutely have to, to protect our agents, not until we get to the van.” He offered, not wanting to traumatise him more than necessary. A resentful or terrified pretender wasn’t going to be any use to them.
Jarod shook his head, not wanting to be that helpless. In reality though he was just as helpless whether he was conscious or not. That was the hardest thing of all to cope with, just that feeling of complete helplessness, which the hood amplified. "I will be fine,” He forced himself to say, taking a deep breath.
"We will leave it off until we get to the car park doors then Jarod." Parker looked at the photo and pried it out of his hand, seeing how creased and bent it was now because of Jarod's tight grip he had had on it in fear of the hood.
"And I am afraid I am going to have to insist on my own cuffs," Byrnes said. Once he was in their custody, things were going to be done his way. And he was not a man who liked margin for error. He knew his people, his equipment, he trusted them and nobody or anything else.
Parker frowned, “He is wearing cuffs already, cuffs are all the same, yours, ours, drug lords." Parker shook her head, trying to smooth the photo out for Jarod.
“That isn't the case at all Miss Parker," Byrnes said, pulling his own out of his pocket and handing them to her for inspection. The locking mechanism was internal, no key to be picked and could only be activated inside the perimeter of their headquarters. He didn't understand the technical details fully, all he cared about was that once they were on, they weren’t coming off until the prisoner was safely secured.
Parker put the photo down for the moment, Jarod being incredibly quite for once. Taking the cuffs Parker looked them over, “There is no key." She mused.
“That is right." Byrnes nodded, giving Jarod some time to get himself under control. What he knew about the man, this must have been a rare display for him.
Jarod was too busy trying to calm himself down for what was coming to be more than only half listening to what Byrnes was saying. He knew it was important, but just couldn't bring himself to care right at the moment.
Parker turned them over for a moment longer before nodding her approval. If this was their security, she doubted Jarod was going anywhere. Pulling a key out, Parker undid her cuffs and handed Jarod his photo back. “Put it in your pocket, or somewhere safe." She said softly, noticing he didn't have any 'shoes' on, completely forgetting she was meant to send some down to him.
Jarod didn't have any pockets and he looked at her, afraid. There was nowhere safe for him, no privacy, not anymore.
“That’s alright, I can take that for you Jarod, it will be returned, I give you my word.” He reached out, waiting for her to give him the photograph.
Parker handed it over slowly, “You lose it, and next time I see you, you will lose your head. Am I clear?"
“I have no intention of losing anything that belongs to you.” He smiled briefly at her as he put it in his suit pocket and then placed a cuff on Jarod's wrist, locking it tight enough to prevent any possibility of him slipping out, but not to tight as to be cutting into him. "Other hand behind your back please.” He asked, hoping not to have to force the issue. It was always so much easier on everyone if they didn't fight. He had no desire to hurt or humiliate this man any more than was necessary.
“That photo doesn’t belong to me, it belongs to him." Parker snapped, waiting to see if Jarod would obey him.
It was the same difference to him, he just nodded and waited for Jarod to comply.
Standing there for a moment, still fighting the unreasoning panic, he placed his hands behind his back and let the agent secure them without any resistance, a sick feeling in his stomach as the lock snapped shut. They were talking about him as if he were a piece of property and treating him as if he were a dangerous criminal.
"If you would wait outside, I need to discuss something with the pretender." Parker said formally, waiting for the agent to leave.
Byrnes looked at her for a long moment and then nodded. There was nothing either of them could do to get him out of the cuffs and he would be thoroughly searched upon arrival. "Very well,” He nodded and left them alone for a moment. He wondered though if they were lovers and had that been going on during the pursuit, if that was how she had finally caught him, or perhaps why they took so long to catch him.
When he walked out, Parker turned to Jarod and looked at him. “You need to behave for them."
Jarod just nodded, taking a deep breath, looking at her miserably.
"Want a drink before you go?" Parker offered, hating this, not trusting the man at all.
Jarod shook his head. "No thank you." It felt strange, but he didn't want to go. It was insane he knew, he hated this place, and wherever it was that he was going, it would no doubt be better than here. Despite all that though, he was afraid. All of his life he had only ever known two things, being here and being on the run.
Parker nodded slowly, "I wish there was a way to stop this, to keep you here. I don't trust him, the OHS, what they want you for." Either place Jarod was a prisoner and Parker was sure Jarod really didn’t care anymore where he was if he was caged.
"Miss Parker, if they are being honest, I can actually do some good.” He said, forcing himself to sound calmer than he felt. "I might really be able to make a difference." That was true and he was eager to swap the death and destruction they offered him here for something that really was going to save lives. His fear was unreasonable and he guessed it was more to do with the hood than anything else.
"I know Jarod, and I know what that would mean for you. But I am worried they aren’t telling the truth, that they are lying to us, manipulating and scheming. Just the way he talks and acts, there is something that he isn’t telling us."
"I am sure there is plenty he is not telling us Miss Parker." The truth was as far as Jarod knew, he hadn't really told them anything. "It will be fine, you will see.” He had to smile at the irony, here he was comforting her, when he was the one being treated like a slave that was about to be traded by his master.
"As soon as you get there and are in your room, make sure he gives you your photo back and put it in a safe place."
"I will, and thank you for that, I appreciate it." That was the only link he had to his family, his past. It was the only thing he had left to remind him that he was really him, and not the person they wanted him to think he was.
"I know you do. Just keep it safe, and I will keep the others safe here." Parker didn’t know why she was being so soft, but she was and it surprised her.
“You kept them all?” He asked in a whisper, surprised at that.
Parker looked surprised that he thought she might have burnt them or thrown them away. "My mother is gone Jarod, all I have left of her is her photos. Your family is gone, you never got to have them. Do you really think I'm cruel enough to destroy the only thing that connects you to them?" Parker asked, hurt a little at that.
He didn't bother telling him that the first photo he might have ever had, she had done precisely that, with a self satisfied smirk on her face too. "I'm sorry,” He whispered instead not wanting to fight now. Since his return, his relationship with her had been turbulent and he didn’t want to part on harsh words.
"If things really get bad, get Lyle to call me if he has his phone. I will have a quick word with Lyle before you go, make sure he does it."
"I am sure it is going to be fine Miss Parker," Jarod told her. He doubted it would get as bad as it did here when Lyle decided to have some fun, and Parker never seemed to stop that until the damage was done. He had long wondered about why she let it go so far, thinking she might enjoy seeing him get what she thought he deserved after all the pranks he had played on her. Did she only save him before too much damage was done to render him useless as an asset?
Nodding, Parker took his arm, “Let’s go then. The sooner this is over the better."
Jarod took a deep breath and shuffled along beside her, dreading the hood more than anything else. He was determined though not to embarrass himself. He was not afraid of the dark, but that feeling of fear was very real.
Getting down to the car park, Parker took him over to Byrnes and Lyle. "I assume everyone is ready?" She asked.
“Yes we are," Byrnes leant down to undo the shackles at his feet and replace them with his own, handing the others back to Miss Parker. He was taking no chances on security, not for the sake of Parker though, but because he needed Jarod to do this job desperately and he knew Jarod didn’t really believe him yet. Given Jarod's history, he would have to view this as a prime opportunity to try and escape.
Letting the sweepers take them, Parker saw the van sitting and waiting for Jarod and held the hood out again. "Ready?" Parker knew Jarod didn’t like the hood, that it terrified him. But at the end of the day, it was going on whether he liked it or not.
"No, not really.” He whispered, although resigned to it now.
“You sure you don't want to talk to Sydney before you go?" Parker offered one last time.
“Positive, tell him... Tell him I will see him soon, and not to worry." Jarod said, bracing himself for it.
Nodding a little, Parker intended to pass the message on. Bringing the hood up, Parker slipped it over his head and tired the cord around his neck, leaving it just loose enough for air to get through.
Closing his eyes, Jarod concentrated only on his breathing, using that to calm himself and push away the unreasoning panic that was threatening to overwhelm him.
Byrnes turned to Mr Lyle. “Your turn now.” He said, knowing he was going to buck at this.
"Excuse me?" Lyle raised an eyebrow at him. "I'm am not some project, I do not do things like that,” He nodded to the hood. Being blinded and chained like a bull wasn’t something that was done to a man like himself.
Despite his own fear, Jarod had to smile in satisfaction as he heard Lyle's reaction.
“Then you can stay here, I am afraid that I must protect the identity of some of our agents, and of course our location.” He smiled blandly at the man.
“So this is why you wanted me to go huh Parker?" Lyle asked smoothly, his eyes glaring at her. He knew it, he knew there was a real reason why she was sending him to do this. She was loving this, Lyle knew.
Parker smiled sweetly, “Just a nice added bonus." Parker would do it over and over again just to see Lyle’s face when he was hooded.
“Look Mr Lyle, I understand your hesitation, it will not be for long however. It is your choice though, if you would like a moment to discuss it, we can secure Jarod."
"No," Lyle glared hatefully at Parker, “Secure him then I will submit."
"Excellent," Byrnes smiled at him, glad he wasn't fighting it. He turned to Jarod and took one arm gently. "Come on, the sooner we go, the sooner we get there and this is over for you.” He walked him to the van, and let his men take care of him as he returned back to Lyle and Parker. "Okay, time to get this show on the road."
Parker moved to the van and looked in, seeing Jarod's wrists locked to the wall behind him and his feet locked to the floor. There was no way he would be going anywhere. "Enjoy the trip," Parker smirked at Lyle as he had a hood slipped over his face.
“There is nothing to fear Mr Lyle." Byrnes assured him, taking his arm securely. “We will require you to surrender your weapon though. It will be returned to you upon completion of the mission. Good day Miss Parker, we will be in touch."
Parker watched as the doors closed on them after Lyle reluctantly gave up his precious gun and the van pulled out. Taking a deep breath, Parker felt herself tingling in a bad way, knowing this wasn’t right.
As he felt the engine turn on and the van begin to move, another wave of panic hit Jarod and literally took his breath away. Unable to move more than a fraction, he could sense bodies on either side of him but he had no way of knowing who they were. To try and take the edge off the panic, he concentrated on what he knew of the OHS, which was very little. The were a government agency though and when this was over, he might be able to convince them to help him. His basic rights were being violated every day and the Centre was breaching nearly every single amendment of the Constitution by keeping him.
Lyle had had his hood taken off, thankfully, when they got onto the right level for the rat's stay. It wasn’t that he was scared of the dark, he wasn’t scared of anything, he just didn’t like not knowing where they were. It was a vital piece of information and Lyle really needed all the information he could get right now. The place was almost like the Centre, only instead of drab grey walls, they were almost blindingly bright white, the lights harsh. He had taken Jarod's arm once on the level, holding it too tightly, hearing the soft moans from Jarod.
The journey had seemed interminably long to Jarod and he was glad it was finally over. He knew it probably only was about 4 hours or so though. He guessed they were somewhere in DC, most likely the Pentagon, deep in the bowels of it and he had to wonder why they hadn’t flown. He knew there would be no daylight for him again until this was over. It had to be Lyle holding him, the grip unnecessarily cruel as they made their way along what he guessed to be an underground level. His bare feet felt smooth floors, most likely tiles, Miss Parker forgetting to get him new shoes sent down, his own left by the stream. Taking in all the information that he could, it was precious little though, Jarod wondered if he would have any kind of hope for affecting an escape while here. They were certainly being cautious enough with him.
Byrnes led them both to the security and had them screened in, the scanner taking all of their vitals. He would have to do a retina scan of Jarod later once he was searched thoroughly.
When they stopped in front of a cell, Lyle looked through the strip to see how nice and accommodating it was. “This his cell?" Lyle asked, disapproval clear in his voice. Lyle had hated it when Parker had removed Jarod from the cell deep down on the sublevels and put him into a ‘room’ like he was in as a kid. Anything more then a bare, damp, brutal cell was too good for the rat.
“Yes, this is the room he will be staying in. I believe it should be sufficient." Byrnes unlocked the door and nodded for him to go in.
Hauling Jarod in, Lyle looked around. “Half of this has to go."
Byrnes sighed heavily and undid the cord around his neck and pulled the hood off. Bending down, he took the shackles off and then the cuffs. "Well here we are. I will give you both some time to settle in, I am sure you are hungry now. Lunch will be sent in shortly and then we will give you the grand tour and orientation."
"I need to organise myself a motel room." Lyle said, not letting Jarod go yet. "And I want some of your men in here to remove the things I say." The little escape artist would use it all to get out and run again.
"I think you and I need to talk Mr Lyle." Byrnes said, nodding to Jarod. “Please, feel free to use the facilities and make yourself comfortable."
Lyle shoved Jarod away, before walking out with the man, the door locking shut behind them. “Talk about what?"
“The situation Mr Lyle." Byrnes said calmly. "A hotel will be unnecessary, we have provided accommodations for you, a room adjoining Jarod's. You will find it has everything you need, and you may call for anything we have overlooked.”
"I do no like being forced to stay in the one place," Lyle said, clearly disapproving. "I want complete access to the rat's room."
"Of course, and I do hope you appreciate our position on this. We have much sensitive information here we will be granting Jarod access to and we simply cannot afford to leave ourselves open to compromise in any way whatsoever."
"I understand," Lyle nodded, though not in the slightest bit happy about it. “This place isn't really run much differently from the Centre. But I must insist that things are removed from Jarod's room."
"Why Mr Lyle? What purpose does that serve? I have found that a comfortable and happy worker is a more productive worker. We are not here to hurt, punish or humiliate him. We want him committed to our mission, without reservation."
"I want some of that removed. He will use it to escape. The big things can stay, the bed, the desk, the couch. The bookshelf and books are fine. It's the small little trinkets and objects that need to be removed. He will use what ever he can get his grabby hands on to play Houdini."
"Mr Lyle, I don't think you understand. There is NO way off this floor except through that door we came in.” He said patiently.
"I want them out." Lyle ordered. "A box or two of small things gone will not make the difference to him being 'comfortable'."
“Then what difference does it make either way? Why deny them to him?" Byrnes was developing a very string dislike for this man already.
“He will use them to get out, regardless of what you think your security is like. You have no idea how resourceful and desperate he is to escape. Mr Byrnes, the rat is the smartest person in the world. No two ways about it. You have never come up against someone like him before. I want them out of his room so he can't use them."
"Very well Mr Lyle, if it will put your mind at ease." Unless he could shape shift though, the ONLY way out was the front door and he didn't care how smart the man was, a single man could not overcome the security there.
"Would you rather me knock you out for the trip then Jarod? You will be safe with the agent." Parker offered. The man was petrified. Parker had always known Jarod had had a fear of the hood, ever since they stole him as a child, but right now they had no choice to use it on him. Parker wouldn’t put it past Lyle to have used it on Jarod earlier on in his stay in the cell’s as a way to control the pretender.
"I tell you what." Byrnes offered, seeing what had to be a phobic reaction, storing that knowledge away. It might prove useful later. "We won't put it on until we absolutely have to, to protect our agents, not until we get to the van.” He offered, not wanting to traumatise him more than necessary. A resentful or terrified pretender wasn’t going to be any use to them.
Jarod shook his head, not wanting to be that helpless. In reality though he was just as helpless whether he was conscious or not. That was the hardest thing of all to cope with, just that feeling of complete helplessness, which the hood amplified. "I will be fine,” He forced himself to say, taking a deep breath.
"We will leave it off until we get to the car park doors then Jarod." Parker looked at the photo and pried it out of his hand, seeing how creased and bent it was now because of Jarod's tight grip he had had on it in fear of the hood.
"And I am afraid I am going to have to insist on my own cuffs," Byrnes said. Once he was in their custody, things were going to be done his way. And he was not a man who liked margin for error. He knew his people, his equipment, he trusted them and nobody or anything else.
Parker frowned, “He is wearing cuffs already, cuffs are all the same, yours, ours, drug lords." Parker shook her head, trying to smooth the photo out for Jarod.
“That isn't the case at all Miss Parker," Byrnes said, pulling his own out of his pocket and handing them to her for inspection. The locking mechanism was internal, no key to be picked and could only be activated inside the perimeter of their headquarters. He didn't understand the technical details fully, all he cared about was that once they were on, they weren’t coming off until the prisoner was safely secured.
Parker put the photo down for the moment, Jarod being incredibly quite for once. Taking the cuffs Parker looked them over, “There is no key." She mused.
“That is right." Byrnes nodded, giving Jarod some time to get himself under control. What he knew about the man, this must have been a rare display for him.
Jarod was too busy trying to calm himself down for what was coming to be more than only half listening to what Byrnes was saying. He knew it was important, but just couldn't bring himself to care right at the moment.
Parker turned them over for a moment longer before nodding her approval. If this was their security, she doubted Jarod was going anywhere. Pulling a key out, Parker undid her cuffs and handed Jarod his photo back. “Put it in your pocket, or somewhere safe." She said softly, noticing he didn't have any 'shoes' on, completely forgetting she was meant to send some down to him.
Jarod didn't have any pockets and he looked at her, afraid. There was nowhere safe for him, no privacy, not anymore.
“That’s alright, I can take that for you Jarod, it will be returned, I give you my word.” He reached out, waiting for her to give him the photograph.
Parker handed it over slowly, “You lose it, and next time I see you, you will lose your head. Am I clear?"
“I have no intention of losing anything that belongs to you.” He smiled briefly at her as he put it in his suit pocket and then placed a cuff on Jarod's wrist, locking it tight enough to prevent any possibility of him slipping out, but not to tight as to be cutting into him. "Other hand behind your back please.” He asked, hoping not to have to force the issue. It was always so much easier on everyone if they didn't fight. He had no desire to hurt or humiliate this man any more than was necessary.
“That photo doesn’t belong to me, it belongs to him." Parker snapped, waiting to see if Jarod would obey him.
It was the same difference to him, he just nodded and waited for Jarod to comply.
Standing there for a moment, still fighting the unreasoning panic, he placed his hands behind his back and let the agent secure them without any resistance, a sick feeling in his stomach as the lock snapped shut. They were talking about him as if he were a piece of property and treating him as if he were a dangerous criminal.
"If you would wait outside, I need to discuss something with the pretender." Parker said formally, waiting for the agent to leave.
Byrnes looked at her for a long moment and then nodded. There was nothing either of them could do to get him out of the cuffs and he would be thoroughly searched upon arrival. "Very well,” He nodded and left them alone for a moment. He wondered though if they were lovers and had that been going on during the pursuit, if that was how she had finally caught him, or perhaps why they took so long to catch him.
When he walked out, Parker turned to Jarod and looked at him. “You need to behave for them."
Jarod just nodded, taking a deep breath, looking at her miserably.
"Want a drink before you go?" Parker offered, hating this, not trusting the man at all.
Jarod shook his head. "No thank you." It felt strange, but he didn't want to go. It was insane he knew, he hated this place, and wherever it was that he was going, it would no doubt be better than here. Despite all that though, he was afraid. All of his life he had only ever known two things, being here and being on the run.
Parker nodded slowly, "I wish there was a way to stop this, to keep you here. I don't trust him, the OHS, what they want you for." Either place Jarod was a prisoner and Parker was sure Jarod really didn’t care anymore where he was if he was caged.
"Miss Parker, if they are being honest, I can actually do some good.” He said, forcing himself to sound calmer than he felt. "I might really be able to make a difference." That was true and he was eager to swap the death and destruction they offered him here for something that really was going to save lives. His fear was unreasonable and he guessed it was more to do with the hood than anything else.
"I know Jarod, and I know what that would mean for you. But I am worried they aren’t telling the truth, that they are lying to us, manipulating and scheming. Just the way he talks and acts, there is something that he isn’t telling us."
"I am sure there is plenty he is not telling us Miss Parker." The truth was as far as Jarod knew, he hadn't really told them anything. "It will be fine, you will see.” He had to smile at the irony, here he was comforting her, when he was the one being treated like a slave that was about to be traded by his master.
"As soon as you get there and are in your room, make sure he gives you your photo back and put it in a safe place."
"I will, and thank you for that, I appreciate it." That was the only link he had to his family, his past. It was the only thing he had left to remind him that he was really him, and not the person they wanted him to think he was.
"I know you do. Just keep it safe, and I will keep the others safe here." Parker didn’t know why she was being so soft, but she was and it surprised her.
“You kept them all?” He asked in a whisper, surprised at that.
Parker looked surprised that he thought she might have burnt them or thrown them away. "My mother is gone Jarod, all I have left of her is her photos. Your family is gone, you never got to have them. Do you really think I'm cruel enough to destroy the only thing that connects you to them?" Parker asked, hurt a little at that.
He didn't bother telling him that the first photo he might have ever had, she had done precisely that, with a self satisfied smirk on her face too. "I'm sorry,” He whispered instead not wanting to fight now. Since his return, his relationship with her had been turbulent and he didn’t want to part on harsh words.
"If things really get bad, get Lyle to call me if he has his phone. I will have a quick word with Lyle before you go, make sure he does it."
"I am sure it is going to be fine Miss Parker," Jarod told her. He doubted it would get as bad as it did here when Lyle decided to have some fun, and Parker never seemed to stop that until the damage was done. He had long wondered about why she let it go so far, thinking she might enjoy seeing him get what she thought he deserved after all the pranks he had played on her. Did she only save him before too much damage was done to render him useless as an asset?
Nodding, Parker took his arm, “Let’s go then. The sooner this is over the better."
Jarod took a deep breath and shuffled along beside her, dreading the hood more than anything else. He was determined though not to embarrass himself. He was not afraid of the dark, but that feeling of fear was very real.
Getting down to the car park, Parker took him over to Byrnes and Lyle. "I assume everyone is ready?" She asked.
“Yes we are," Byrnes leant down to undo the shackles at his feet and replace them with his own, handing the others back to Miss Parker. He was taking no chances on security, not for the sake of Parker though, but because he needed Jarod to do this job desperately and he knew Jarod didn’t really believe him yet. Given Jarod's history, he would have to view this as a prime opportunity to try and escape.
Letting the sweepers take them, Parker saw the van sitting and waiting for Jarod and held the hood out again. "Ready?" Parker knew Jarod didn’t like the hood, that it terrified him. But at the end of the day, it was going on whether he liked it or not.
"No, not really.” He whispered, although resigned to it now.
“You sure you don't want to talk to Sydney before you go?" Parker offered one last time.
“Positive, tell him... Tell him I will see him soon, and not to worry." Jarod said, bracing himself for it.
Nodding a little, Parker intended to pass the message on. Bringing the hood up, Parker slipped it over his head and tired the cord around his neck, leaving it just loose enough for air to get through.
Closing his eyes, Jarod concentrated only on his breathing, using that to calm himself and push away the unreasoning panic that was threatening to overwhelm him.
Byrnes turned to Mr Lyle. “Your turn now.” He said, knowing he was going to buck at this.
"Excuse me?" Lyle raised an eyebrow at him. "I'm am not some project, I do not do things like that,” He nodded to the hood. Being blinded and chained like a bull wasn’t something that was done to a man like himself.
Despite his own fear, Jarod had to smile in satisfaction as he heard Lyle's reaction.
“Then you can stay here, I am afraid that I must protect the identity of some of our agents, and of course our location.” He smiled blandly at the man.
“So this is why you wanted me to go huh Parker?" Lyle asked smoothly, his eyes glaring at her. He knew it, he knew there was a real reason why she was sending him to do this. She was loving this, Lyle knew.
Parker smiled sweetly, “Just a nice added bonus." Parker would do it over and over again just to see Lyle’s face when he was hooded.
“Look Mr Lyle, I understand your hesitation, it will not be for long however. It is your choice though, if you would like a moment to discuss it, we can secure Jarod."
"No," Lyle glared hatefully at Parker, “Secure him then I will submit."
"Excellent," Byrnes smiled at him, glad he wasn't fighting it. He turned to Jarod and took one arm gently. "Come on, the sooner we go, the sooner we get there and this is over for you.” He walked him to the van, and let his men take care of him as he returned back to Lyle and Parker. "Okay, time to get this show on the road."
Parker moved to the van and looked in, seeing Jarod's wrists locked to the wall behind him and his feet locked to the floor. There was no way he would be going anywhere. "Enjoy the trip," Parker smirked at Lyle as he had a hood slipped over his face.
“There is nothing to fear Mr Lyle." Byrnes assured him, taking his arm securely. “We will require you to surrender your weapon though. It will be returned to you upon completion of the mission. Good day Miss Parker, we will be in touch."
Parker watched as the doors closed on them after Lyle reluctantly gave up his precious gun and the van pulled out. Taking a deep breath, Parker felt herself tingling in a bad way, knowing this wasn’t right.
As he felt the engine turn on and the van begin to move, another wave of panic hit Jarod and literally took his breath away. Unable to move more than a fraction, he could sense bodies on either side of him but he had no way of knowing who they were. To try and take the edge off the panic, he concentrated on what he knew of the OHS, which was very little. The were a government agency though and when this was over, he might be able to convince them to help him. His basic rights were being violated every day and the Centre was breaching nearly every single amendment of the Constitution by keeping him.
Lyle had had his hood taken off, thankfully, when they got onto the right level for the rat's stay. It wasn’t that he was scared of the dark, he wasn’t scared of anything, he just didn’t like not knowing where they were. It was a vital piece of information and Lyle really needed all the information he could get right now. The place was almost like the Centre, only instead of drab grey walls, they were almost blindingly bright white, the lights harsh. He had taken Jarod's arm once on the level, holding it too tightly, hearing the soft moans from Jarod.
The journey had seemed interminably long to Jarod and he was glad it was finally over. He knew it probably only was about 4 hours or so though. He guessed they were somewhere in DC, most likely the Pentagon, deep in the bowels of it and he had to wonder why they hadn’t flown. He knew there would be no daylight for him again until this was over. It had to be Lyle holding him, the grip unnecessarily cruel as they made their way along what he guessed to be an underground level. His bare feet felt smooth floors, most likely tiles, Miss Parker forgetting to get him new shoes sent down, his own left by the stream. Taking in all the information that he could, it was precious little though, Jarod wondered if he would have any kind of hope for affecting an escape while here. They were certainly being cautious enough with him.
Byrnes led them both to the security and had them screened in, the scanner taking all of their vitals. He would have to do a retina scan of Jarod later once he was searched thoroughly.
When they stopped in front of a cell, Lyle looked through the strip to see how nice and accommodating it was. “This his cell?" Lyle asked, disapproval clear in his voice. Lyle had hated it when Parker had removed Jarod from the cell deep down on the sublevels and put him into a ‘room’ like he was in as a kid. Anything more then a bare, damp, brutal cell was too good for the rat.
“Yes, this is the room he will be staying in. I believe it should be sufficient." Byrnes unlocked the door and nodded for him to go in.
Hauling Jarod in, Lyle looked around. “Half of this has to go."
Byrnes sighed heavily and undid the cord around his neck and pulled the hood off. Bending down, he took the shackles off and then the cuffs. "Well here we are. I will give you both some time to settle in, I am sure you are hungry now. Lunch will be sent in shortly and then we will give you the grand tour and orientation."
"I need to organise myself a motel room." Lyle said, not letting Jarod go yet. "And I want some of your men in here to remove the things I say." The little escape artist would use it all to get out and run again.
"I think you and I need to talk Mr Lyle." Byrnes said, nodding to Jarod. “Please, feel free to use the facilities and make yourself comfortable."
Lyle shoved Jarod away, before walking out with the man, the door locking shut behind them. “Talk about what?"
“The situation Mr Lyle." Byrnes said calmly. "A hotel will be unnecessary, we have provided accommodations for you, a room adjoining Jarod's. You will find it has everything you need, and you may call for anything we have overlooked.”
"I do no like being forced to stay in the one place," Lyle said, clearly disapproving. "I want complete access to the rat's room."
"Of course, and I do hope you appreciate our position on this. We have much sensitive information here we will be granting Jarod access to and we simply cannot afford to leave ourselves open to compromise in any way whatsoever."
"I understand," Lyle nodded, though not in the slightest bit happy about it. “This place isn't really run much differently from the Centre. But I must insist that things are removed from Jarod's room."
"Why Mr Lyle? What purpose does that serve? I have found that a comfortable and happy worker is a more productive worker. We are not here to hurt, punish or humiliate him. We want him committed to our mission, without reservation."
"I want some of that removed. He will use it to escape. The big things can stay, the bed, the desk, the couch. The bookshelf and books are fine. It's the small little trinkets and objects that need to be removed. He will use what ever he can get his grabby hands on to play Houdini."
"Mr Lyle, I don't think you understand. There is NO way off this floor except through that door we came in.” He said patiently.
"I want them out." Lyle ordered. "A box or two of small things gone will not make the difference to him being 'comfortable'."
“Then what difference does it make either way? Why deny them to him?" Byrnes was developing a very string dislike for this man already.
“He will use them to get out, regardless of what you think your security is like. You have no idea how resourceful and desperate he is to escape. Mr Byrnes, the rat is the smartest person in the world. No two ways about it. You have never come up against someone like him before. I want them out of his room so he can't use them."
"Very well Mr Lyle, if it will put your mind at ease." Unless he could shape shift though, the ONLY way out was the front door and he didn't care how smart the man was, a single man could not overcome the security there.
