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Author's Chapter Notes:
Sorry for the delay in getting this chapter out. My muse must have gone on vacation (and didn't take me!) and didn't get back until this week. Thanks to everyone who has left a review.

Sydney paced around the living room.  He had rented this two-bedroom apartment after being on the road for eight long days.  The last time he had spent that much uninterrupted time with another person was back when he and Jacob were studying for their med school finals.  The situation now was so different it could belong to a totally different person.  And Jarod needed Sydney in a way that Jacob never did.  For Sydney, living with Jarod was like being the sole parent raising a child.  The thought of Jarod had Sydney heading for the window that overlooked the rear deck.  The younger man was stretched out on a deck chair, reading a book with an opened bag of potato chips on his lap and a glass of soda on the table next to him. 

 

Sydney wasn’t quite sure when or where Jarod had discovered the carbonated beverage, but it was the junk food addiction that had him concerned.  Sydney’s eyes narrowed.  Jarod had the eating habits of a hyper-active eight year old and, unless Sydney was mistaken, on his second bag of chips today.  Sydney had been unwilling to correct any of Jarod’s behavioral quirks since the mall disaster, but that was no longer an option.  He moved to the doorway and asked Jarod to step inside.

 

Sydney grew concerned when Jarod failed to respond to his second summons.  He quickly headed out onto the deck and knelt down next to Jarod’s chair.  The dark eyes in front of him held an expression Sydney never thought he would see again.  Jarod was in a SIM and deeply if the lack of response was any indication.

 

“Jarod, end SIM.”

 

Sydney waited a couple of seconds and then repeated the order.  It wasn’t until the third time that Sydney was able to relax.  He sat down in the empty lounger and watched closely as Jarod took a deep breath and ever-so-slightly shook his head.  Both actions further reassured Sydney that Jarod had successfully ended the SIM and was now re-orienting himself as Jarod.

 

“Why were you running a SIM alone, Jarod?  You know better than that.”

 

“I, um, I was just thinking, wondering, um…I didn’t mean to SIM it!”

 

“It’s OK, calm down.  What were you wondering?”

 

“Why would Mr. Franco’s employer think he stole the money?  He’s a very honest man.”

 

“Your little friend Max’s father?  He lost his job?”

 

Sydney thought it highly ironic that Jarod’s first friend outside the Centre was a nine-year-old who was addicted to handheld video games.  He also knew that he had Max to thank for Jarod’s exposure to sodas and junk food.

 

“He didn’t lose it, Sydney.  He knows where he worked.  But his employer told him to leave before he called the police.”

 

Sydney hid a smile at Jarod’s niavity.

 

“Lost his job is a euphemism, Jarod.  It means that his employer has terminated his employment.”

 

“Oh, OK.  But why would his employer think that?  My SIM showed me that he couldn’t have stolen the money.  He’s innocent.”

 

“I can’t answer that.  Why don’t you see what you can find out?  But, and I am serious about this, Jarod, no SIMming without me.  Understand?”

 

Jarod nodded and hurried off, anxious to start his investigation.  Sydney shook his head in amusement and started to clean up after the departing pretender.

  

Broots leaned back in his chair, utterly frustrated.  In the month since “The Great Escape”, as he liked to think of it, he had been searching for a clue to their whereabouts almost non-stop.  But there was nothing for him to find.  The doctor’s bank accounts were untouched, his friends and colleagues (both Centre and non-Centre) hadn’t heard from him, and his only remaining family was comatose.

 

He was looking at his list of places to check when he heard the click-click-click of rapidly approaching stilettos.  He had barely muffled his groan when she appeared.  Sam was a couple of steps behind her and his quick grimace in Broots’ direction let the tech know that this wasn’t going to be a pleasant meeting.

 

“Well?” the ice-cold voice demanded.  “Where are they?”

 

“I, um, I can’t.  I mean, I haven’t…,” he took a deep breath and let it blurt out.  “There’s been no sign of them anywhere.”

 

Miss Parker glared at both men.

 

“I have to go meet with the Board in one hour and, thanks to you two, I have nothing to report!”

 

Broots and Sam exchanged glances and both started trying to justify their failures.  The resulting noise level infuriated Miss Parker even more.

 

“Enough!  Stop!  You two are supposed to be the best in your fields and, after ONE MONTH looking, you still can’t tell me where they are or how Geppetto got Pinocchio out!”

 

She stormed out of the room and, as soon as she cleared the threshold, Broots leaned back in his chair and wiped his face with his hands.  Sam leaned against the side of Broots’ desk and took a deep breath.

 

“Nothing on the electric highway, huh?” Sam asked.

 

“Nope, I’ve got a program watching the doctor’s bank accounts, but there’s nothing happening there.  I’ve checked with the DMV for any traffic tickets or accident reports.  Again, nothing.  No John Does, Sydneys or Jarods fitting their descriptions have been admitted to hospitals with computerized admissions.”

 

“I have the same problem,” Sam admitted.  “My people still haven’t figured out how the pretender actually left his room, let alone the Centre.  Only those with proper ID were allowed to leave; there weren’t any visitors in the Centre that entire day.  Sydney’s car was stopped at the Main Gate for a routine inspection, which clears him of transporting Jarod out that way.”

 

Sam shook his head in puzzlement and silence filled the room as the two men contemplated the other’s story.

  

Jarod headed for the courtyard where he usually met Max.  He had some questions and he hoped his friend would be able to answer them.  Jarod really wanted to help his friend; Max didn’t treat Jarod any differently than his other friends.  Jarod was just the tallest of them.

 

Just over one hour later, Jarod left the courtyard.  Max was already there when Jarod had arrived.  They had spent a couple of minutes answering Jarod’s many questions and then they had spent the next hour playing Final Fantasy on Max’s PSP.  Jarod was hooked on the handheld video game and he just hoped that Sydney would let him get one.  ‘Maybe,’ he thought to himself, ‘I need to approach Sydney with the idea that the PSP is an educational tool.  Sydney would let me get it then.’  And, with that happy thought, he headed back up to the apartment.

  

Broots was engrossed in his bacon double cheeseburger and fries when his friend Stretch wondered into the cafeteria.  Broots had first met the 5’4” man on his first day at the Centre, during the required Employee Orientation Seminar.  The instructor, a cleaner when not pulling orientation duty, had equally harassed both men and was actually the one to give Stretch his new name.  That horrible day created a bond of friendship that was still solid.

 

The dainty little man placed his tray squarely in front of his chair as he joined Broots at the table.  He unfolded his napkin and smoothed it over his thighs before dribbling dressing over his chef salad with surgical precision.  Only then did he look up at Broots and instantly both men broke out in very quiet laughter.

 

“The Centre’s version of ‘The Odd Couple’, Stretch giggled as he watched Broots smear catsup around his plate with a French fry.

 

Broots looked over at his friend and then down at himself and had to agree.  His table companion was neatly dressed in a suit and tie while Broots was in wrinkled khakis and a tee-shirt.

 

“So, how’s life in the Financial Department?  Catch any more sweepers padding their expense accounts?”  Broots asked.

 

“Well, there’s one case that has me puzzled, but the name on the account is Parker, so I’m afraid to look into it too deeply.”

 

“It’s not Miss Parker, is it?”

 

“Oh, no.  I know better than to even think of questioning her charges.  This is an S. Parker.  He’s been with the Centre for years, but has always filed his reports electronically, so I don’t have any receipts to go along with his reports.  Just approved stamps from Mr. Parker himself.  Still, it seems odd to me.”

 

“Yeah, and if Mr. Parker has already OK’ed it, then looking any deeper could get you into trouble,”  Broots agreed and then looked down at his watch.  “ And trouble is what I’ll be in if Miss Parker comes looking for me.  See ya later, Stretch.”

  

Jarod practically bounced around the living room while Sydney watched in amusement.  The younger man had had a good day, if the grin on his face was any indication.

 

“Mr. Franco got his job back,” Jarod announced happily.  “Max and I set up something that Max called a sting.  We got Mr. Franco’s co-manager to admit that he was the one actually stealing the money.”

 

“You took Max with you?  That wasn’t a very good idea, Jarod.  What if this co-worker was dangerous?  How would you feel if Max had gotten hurt?”

 

Jarod dropped his head and shuffled his feet.

 

“I SIMmed it, Sydney.  Max wouldn’t have gotten hurt.”

 

Sydney reached over and tipped Jarod’s head up so their eyes met.

 

“You did a very good thing today, Jarod.  I’m proud of you.”

 

Jarod caught his breath.  Sydney had never said that to him before.  It gave Jarod a strange feeling just to hear it, but Sydney was smiling at him like he really meant it.  Jarod slowly reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small electronic devise.

 

“Mr. Franco’s employer gave Max and me these.  Can I keep it?  It’s very educational.”

 Sydney broke out into laughter when Jarod showed him the brand new PSP game system.




Chapter End Notes:
tbc, same bat-site, same bat-story.





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