A bad risk situation or not he couldn’t let it continue! “That’s enough, Angelo!” He came out from the side and pulled Angelo away from her. He pulled Angelo along the other side of the wall, trying to keep him in control. “Settle down, Angelo, settle down,” Jarod begged him.

“Jarod!” Mister Parker yelled. “What the hell are you doing here?! Sydney?!”

 “No sweepers came with us, and we have no weapons. We are regular civilians at this point, visiting your daughter, Sir,” Sydney reminded him. “Perhaps Bhekumbuso?”

“Jarod.” Bhekumbuso stared at him. Clearly he had no one either.

Once Angelo calmed down more he slid down against the wall.

Jarod turned around and faced Mister Parker. He thought about the past. About the words he said before he jumped off that plane. “You love your daughter very much,” Jarod said. “About the only thing you do love,” he added, “so things must be getting pretty bad to throw her out to the lions again.”

Mister Parker took a deep breath and was red in the face. “Jarod. You can’t interfere. Stay out of this!”

Jarod turned toward Miss Parker. As brave as ever, acting like she was fine while blood dribbled down her mouth. “Are you okay?”

Yes, it irritated her. Yep, she was fine. Jarod knew he was in a tight spot.

Mister Parker. Miss Parker. And a third to the party he never even saw before except in pictures. It was the last place he should be, but he couldn’t let what he saw continue.

His eyes narrowed on Mister Parker. “A sensitive area, the mouth, and with all the secrets, lies, and the suffering she’s been through, what do you think Angelo’s feeling?” He moved forward more toward Mister Parker, not even caring if he was ruining their secret. His voice was low, but his eyes spoke volumes. “There’s no way this lie is going to continue.”

“I knew it!” Bhekumbuso said. “It is all a lie, Jarod is the father!”

“Someone’s a little late to the party,” Jarod joked slightly, knowing it would really get under this superior man’s nerves. Especially since no one else would it seemed. He looked toward Angelo  who was starting to feel better. “Sorry, Angelo. You okay?”

“Angelo . . . not father?”

“No,” Jarod admitted. “That’s my department.” He looked back to Miss Parker that looked mad enough to kick not one ass, but a multitude of them. “You snuck off, naughty girl.” The only one grinning in the room was Sydney.

“It was all fake. A lie.” Bhekumbuso looked toward Mister Parker. “That was a real risk you took.”

“Daddy didn’t try the lie, I came up with it,” Miss Parker said, trying to defend him.

“At ease, honey.” Mister Parker smiled sadly to her. “You have your entire life ahead of you.” He took a deep breath and looked toward Bhekumbuso. “Let’s talk a deal.”

“You know the scrolls?” Bhekumbuso asked.

“Yes, I do,” He breathed slowly. “My grandkids belong to The Centre.”

“My kids don’t belong to The Centre,” Jarod corrected him.

 “Mutumbo would want that. He’s very ‘chummy’ here.” Bhekumbuso glared at him. “Conceivance was in Triumvirate territory, The Triumvirate owns them.”

“You don’t own them either,” Jarod said to the Triumvirate man. They were pushing.

“Yes, but The Centre is the only one who can make a deal that Jarod will accept,” Mister Parker said. “By that right, he’s still ours.”

“I am no one’s!” Jarod yelled. He reached in his jacket and pulled out a gun, moving it between Mister Parker and Bhekumbuso. He was getting tired of their mouths. “Talking about me like I’m still property when I’m the only one holding a gun? Not too bright.”

“We are done with you,” Bhukumbuso said plainly. “The boy named Jarod was found, his task is complete. We only want the Angel carrying angels. As Mister Parker said, deal time.”

“Name and location of your mother, Jarod,” Mister Parker said, “and a clear contract that states no one in The Centre would be coming after you at any time. Have your family back.”

“I’m rebuilding on my own, thanks,” Jarod said.

“And the brother, Kyle,” Bhekumbuso. “That is what The Triumvirate offers.”

Really? They wanted to pull out that trick? “Kyle is dead.”

Even Mister Parker looked at him. “Bhekumbuso?”

“Overstep boundaries, don’t care, small consequence now. Dealing,” Bhekumbuso said.

“He was Centre Property!” Mister Parker looked furious. “Damn that son of mine.”

What? What was that? Jarod looked between them. “Kyle is dead,” he repeated.

“No one dies at The Centre.” Bhekumbuso tilted his head. “The Centre holds nothing but our waste. Storage space. Useless clones that didn’t work. Like, the ‘Kyle’ who died.”

“Clone?” Jarod held his gun straight on Bhekumbuso. “What do you mean?”

“You’re copyrighted to The Centre,” Mister Parker said.

“And because of that, we don’t feel like always sharing our latest technology to each other,” Bhekumbuso said. “The Triumvirate clones not only turn out faster and better, but we can control aging now.”

“What?” Jarod watched the stranger. “Control cloning?”

“Yes, but no copyright to you.”

“Kyle’s . . . alive?” His brother was alive?

“Safe and sound, in the Triumvirate.”

Jarod felt a darkness in his soul start to lift. One that he felt both times he lost Kyle. Once, in an explosion. He didn’t know he survived, he found him again, only to be taken away by Lyle. There was no way to miss it, his brother was used as a transplant for a young boy. He was gone.

But. A clone would be exact in every way. Except one. The experiences. The same man. “Not the Kyle I knew.” His heart sunk once more.

That was like saying Gemini was him. In makeup only. He wasn’t him.

“Red Rock. Dry River, Arizona,” Bhekumbuso confirmed. “Killed by Lyle. Happened to come across? With the one Mutumbo favors most?”

Jarod blinked. “What?”

“Think about it.”

“Lyle killed him.” Jarod breathed hard. “I was there, the whole time. I even donated his heart to . . .”

“And no one dies in the business of The Centre,” Bhekumbuso reminded him.

“Are you saying?” Jarod tried to remember. That day. That wonderful day, finding his brother he thought was dead, and then losing him all over again. All in a day.

“Triumvirate clones are disposable,” Bhekumbuso said plainly.

Jarod breathed harder. “Are you telling me . . .”

“We wanted both of you in the Triumvirate. Mister Lyle only managed one. Not enough to gain The Centre.”

Lyle was out of The Centre. Lyle was gone from The Centre, he was trying to get Jarod to get back in. But that wasn’t it at all. “He wasn’t trying to get back in, he was making a deal to get the whole Centre? Completely?” He tried to keep his gun on them, but he could feel the palpitations inside of him.

His brother.

Could be alive.

“Overstepping, he was one of ours,” Mister Parker grunted.

His brother.

Could be alive.

 “Your real brother. You can ask him facts and he can tell you everything,” Bhekumbuso said. “Brother. Father. Sister. Rebuild wherever you like, and we will not follow. Just give the Triumvirate control to the twin angels.”

“The Triumvirate is not getting a hold of them!” Mister Parker looked at Jarod. “Okay.” He breathed deeply. “I can’t get you your brother, true, but I can get you your mother. We know how she Pretends, we can find her at least every six months. Nabbing her is hard, just like you, but if you know the location, you can do the running.”

“You. Two. Are incredible.” Jarod felt like he couldn’t even breathe. “I can’t believe something as sinister as the two of you exists out there.” Jarod looked between them. Bribing him with his own family. Stealing it.

“Oh, cut the bullshit, Jarod!” Mister Parker yelled. “You know damn well you want to experience childhood. Hm? Look at all the clues you leave behind. No, you want to have your father and mother, have your brother and sister. Experience the family you have. Live your life free, to explore. To relearn. You can’t do that with kids! It’s a burden, not a relief. You don’t want to watch other kids grow up, you want to.”

“You think because I missed out on my childhood.” It never stopped. They never let the pain stop. “I couldn’t raise . . . my own? Without, some kind of, jealousy?” He felt the gun tighter in his hand.

“Psychologically, you never would have chosen to have kids,” Mister Parker said. “I know, Sydney did that comparison for us. You want to be a kid, not have kids. It was never going to be in the cards. So, burden. You’re stuck in this, right? Well, you aren’t abandoning them. My daughter will do just fine.”

“Okay. As usual, we will have to work together with The Centre,” Bhekumbuso said to Mister Parker. “I will be quiet about Angelo. Same plan you have.” Mister Parker nodded. “After the plan, and the watchful eyes turn, I get a twin angel.”

“Split my grandkids?” Mister Parker scoffed. “Ridiculous!” Then, he winced as he heard a bullet.

Jarod fired one between the two of them, unable to take it anymore. “My kids are not a luxury! They aren’t copyrighted, they aren’t for sale, and neither is my brother. So, how about this for a deal?” he asked them. “I take Miss Parker, we take care of our own kids, I’m going to rescue my real brother, if he’s really out there, I will find my real mother, and you are all left with nothing.” He looked toward Miss Parker. “We need to go. I can’t take this much longer.”

“Daddy?” She worked up some nerve. A lot of nerve. It was pouring out. “I.”

“You can do it.” Jarod understood it now. Why ‘Angel’ worked so well on her. Why she always called her father ‘daddy’. Why she could never hold the control with him. “For Angel and Onyssius, you have to do it.”

She glanced toward Jarod a moment, then back to her father. “If I go willingly, Jarod, there will be trouble.”

“I know. I saw the DSA where I was freed with you. I know what will happen if I’m caught, and I will accept it. Especially if it’s where Kyle is.” The Triumvirate. Simulations for food and shelter. Otherwise. “Now come over.”

She still didn’t move.

“I’m not fourteen anymore,” Jarod said to her. “You can’t keep fighting this battle for me.”

 “No! Okay, that’s it!” Mister Parker held his finger toward his daughter. “I didn’t want to do this, but I have no choice!” He sighed. “Stay, Angel, and I’ll give you the love of your life back.”

 “Miss Parker,” Jarod commanded. “I will not let my family hurt you, I promise.” Her father was her weakness to her focus. He always had to try harder against him. “Come this way.”

“What do you mean?” Miss Parker asked her father.

“Honey. Some people just don’t work together. You two didn’t, you know, but at this rate I’m willing to bargain,” he muttered. “Bhekumbuso. Need to strike a deal with her too.”

“Deal with me. What?” Miss Parker asked.

 “You were leaving The Centre,” Bhekumbuso said. “Parkers need to run the Centre. Lyle was not everyone’s favorite.”

“I had to do something,” Mister Parker said. “I’m sorry. You know what happens when you cross your focus.” He sighed. “No one ever dies at The Centre. Not even those in The Centre, just business of the Centre.”

“I don’t . . .”

“You unbelievable man.” Jarod already figured it out. “How could you?” Jarod narrowed his eyes on him. “Are you kidding me? To her?”

“What? What are you two going on about?” Miss Parker looked toward her dad. “Daddy?”

 “Thomas.” Jarod looked right at her.

“What?” Miss Parker looked toward her father.

“Thomas Gates is alive,” Mister Parker said. “Haven’t you been listening at all? Clones for the Triumvirate is easy, and they needed the Parkers here. You were leaving, so they helped. So, stay here, and I’ll give him back to you.”

“Tommy?” Blood rushed from her face, and her body felt weak. “Wha . . .?”

“If you go with Jarod though, you’ll never get him back,” Mister Parker said.

Her hand covered her mouth.

Her mouth just hung open as a tear fell from her eye. “You. Knew. Daddy?”

 “I was hoping Jarod would just stay away, and we could get this business handled. He always stays away from The Centre.” Mister Parker looked at her. “Bringing this card out.” He sighed. “Short time with Angelo, one hard night, and soon after I’ll get him back to you.”

What one hard night? Tired of it. If Jarod were a weaker man, he’d use the gun right now. “My brother, Kyle!”

“That is our part,” Bhekumbuso said.

 “Can’t happen,” Mister Parker snapped back. “Just, leave things alone, Jarod. We can work out a deal. Your whole family can go off Centre radar.” He gestured toward Miss Parker. “And guilt, don’t worry about it. You’re not abandoning them, you’re giving them a better life, being raised with Thomas Gates and my daughter.”

Jarod winced involuntarily at the cruelty he kept hearing. More and more and more. “Are you  . . . kidding me?”

“You don’t have the kind of life that you can raise kids in anyhow!” Mister Parker yelled. “Avenging is a dangerous business, if you care about those kids, let Thomas have them instead. He’s in a coma, a little convincing up in the mind and he’ll think it’s only been six months or so. He’ll assume they are his.”

“That’s enough!”  Jarod moved forward closer to Mister Parker, putting the gun straight to his heart.

“Jarod, stop!” Miss Parker yelled out.

But, Mister Parker did something else. Something Jarod didn’t predict. He pulled Jarod’s gun to the left, and caused him to fire.

Hitting Bhekumbuso square in the chest. As he started to fall, Jarod went toward him, trying to save his life.

“Angel.” Mister Parker didn’t listen to all the jargon or instructions Jarod was giving them. He watched Sydney as he followed Jarod’s orders to try and save Bhekumbuso. “Come here, sweetheart.” She moved toward him. “Give daddy one last hug. Hm?”

“There’s too much blood. Internal bleeding.” Jarod sighed. “I can’t save him.”

“No, and me neither.” Mister Parker just smiled at his daughter before he fell himself.

“Daddy!” She bent down to him. “What’s wrong?”

“Well. Daddy’s dying, Angel,” he said to her. “And, this time, I won’t be coming back,” he chuckled. “It’s okay, though, it’s supposed to happen this way.”

Jarod moved over toward him. “What did you do?!”

“Anger at the one you wanted to kill for killing himself? You always were the strange one.” Mister Parker groaned. “Stop it, leave me alone! You’ll get a chance. Poke and prod later.”

“What do you mean?” Miss Parker asked, holding his hand. “What did you do?”

 “What did you do?!” Jarod demanded again.

“Daddy!” Miss Parker held him tightly. “What did you do?! Please, tell us!”

“I have what Broots’ daughter has,” he said breathing softly. “The Pretender Alex gave it to me. The cure we made doesn’t work this late in the game, it just helped to . . . keep it at bay. The cure we have now should work for Debbie. There’s a reason Lyle had it and the cure. We’ve been working on it. I didn’t want to upset you, Angel, by making you worry.”

“No.” She shook her head. “No. No one dies at The Centre.”

“Starting now. They will,” he said. “Ah. I wish I could have done something more. I knew from the tingles though, it was over. Even knowing the scrolls, it doesn’t help any. Too vague. Too . . . ah.” He groaned. “Go wait in the other room, Angel. I’m sorry, but my last few breaths have to be for Jarod alone.”

“What?” She felt herself being gently pulled up.

“Come on, Miss Parker, come with me and Angelo. It’s okay.” Sydney’s voice. “Let’s respect your father’s wishes.” He had gone quiet ever since Jarod came to the room.

Jarod looked toward Miss Parker and Sydney, making sure they were okay, then looked down at him. “Where is my mother and brother?” He better be trying to make amends before death.

Breathing was getting harder. It looked like he was in pain. “Pocket. Wallet.” Jarod checked and found his wallet. An address on a piece of paper was stuck on the back. “Thomas Gates.”

“This should have gone to Miss Parker,” he said trying to keep the annoyance out of his voice. Yes, he was dying. Yes, Miss Parker was going to be hurt by it. But this was the man, the one responsible for taking him from the ones he loved. Raising him in The Centre. “Where’s my brother? My mother?”

“Honestly?” Mister Parker breathed. “I don’t know, Jarod, gah! I only run The Centre.” His breathing was getting worse. “Most things, I don’t know. Focus, let’s you get it done though. No questions. No secrets. Just get it done.” His breathing capabilities were going. “You’re mother, you’ll see her soon. Your brother, you’ll find him too. Just, keep the twin angels away from the devil, and hold on tight. I’m sorry. I am.” He groaned. “My Angel’s going to do what she can. Follow her lead. Do you understand?”

“You don’t have anything for me.” Jarod just looked at the ground. “The leader of The Centre doesn’t know anything about me.”

“Blast it, Jarod, I’m trying to-“ Not much longer. “Let my Angel, be your Angel. Don’t let her get confused between the angel and devil. He’s not like the others. He’s not a kid. He’s something different. The Triumvirate has him, and he’s . . .”

“He’s what?” Jarod asked. “What?”

“He’s out to get . . . twin . . . devils.” He yelled sharply a second. “Jarod! The Centre can’t run without a Parker. Speak through anonymous phones if you don’t want her to stay, but she has to use it! Lyle’s unfit, Raines is gone. Use it to track the devil. Track him . . . or he’ll steal all the angels.” He yelled sharply one more time. “After that, their fate is up to you. Given enough incentive. Man is capable of almost anything. Remember what I said? Remember it.” One more crack of pain and his whole body went loose.

Jarod watched him, checking his pulse. He was dead. His eyes laid open. At no point could he have been changed since saying everything. He was dead, he knew everything about Miss Parker, and even said goodbye.

The fact that he even had to think about all that first was disturbing. But it was over. Twin angels. Devils. He plugged everything he could into his memory. He may not know what everything meant, but he would have it for later.

For now, he moved toward the room with Miss Parker. She was in there, her eyes casted down. Angelo was slightly off in the distance and Sydney was beside her.

“It’s over. We need to get moving,” Jarod said gently.

“I don’t . . .”

“Come on.” Her whole body was shaking. She hid the pain, but not well. “You need to get out of here, Sydney.”

“The Triumvirate will come for The Centre.” Miss Parker finally spoke. “Lyle has been deemed unfit, Raines is missing, and my father is dead. We have to go, Syd. Get Broots. Say you’re tracking Jarod or something, I don’t care. We have to go.”

“Tracking me?” No, she was out of it. “We need to get back to Debbie and Gemini.”

 “No, we need to get Broots. We need to get access to The Centre. We need to . . .” her eyes started to close and Jarod picked her up.

“Mild sedative.” Jarod threw the needle on the ground. He was dealing with Miss Parker, and he couldn’t risk her getting out of control with him so he created his own gentle sedatives. “She’ll be fine. I’ll get back in touch soon. Are you sure this phone you gave me is safe?”

“Yes, Jarod. No one knows about it.” Sydney looked toward her. “I don’t know for sure the capacity of The Triumvirates. It’s always been higher than The Centre. At other times, it’s almost like The Centre mocked them. I always assumed they were only another version of The Centre, but . . .”

“I don’t know. Kyle could be alive though.” Jarod held her tight. “Hidden in The Triumvirate. Somehow.”

 “Keep an eye on her, Jarod, you can’t let her come back again,” Sydney said. “I hope that you do find him alive.”

“Yeah. Hope.” He tried not to let hope spring too high. The Centre never gave anyone hope for too long. “What was this floating bed bridge?” Jarod asked. “I caught the end of that conversation.”

Sydney sighed. “Nothing, Jarod, that concerns you. It will waste time to explain it or its history.”

“Must start searching . . .” Miss Parker breathed in her sleep. “Must search . . .”

 “Focus is even in her sleep.” He looked toward Sydney again. “I better get going.” Card. Brother alive. Mister Parker dead. Thomas in a coma. Twin Angels. “I really better get going.”

------------------------

Jarod’s Place the Next Morning . . .

“So, I’m all better?” Debbie asked as she braved the needle and had a bandage placed on her.

“Hopefully. We’ll know in a few days,” Jarod said with a smile. “If you are, you can go back home.” He wasn’t prepared for the hug he got.

“Thank you, Jarod!” She squeezed him tighter. “I miss my dad!”

“I know.” Someone else would too, when she woke up. He watched Gemini come into the room. “Ready to go back home soon?”

“It is where the heart is supposed to reside.” Gemini didn’t add to it. He just looked out the window. “I want to remember every detail I can.” He waved out the window at some boys his age. “Jarod?”

“Yeah.” Jarod was finally released from the death grip hug of Debbie.

“This was a wonderful experience.” He moved away from the window and looked to Debbie. “I enjoyed being your brother.”

“Yeah.” She bopped her head a little. “It was kinda cool being your sister. Kind of. It was fun hanging out.”

Uh oh. Jarod tried to hide a smile. It looked like Gemini experienced more than just a little stimulation from the outside world. Debbie too.

“Would you like to sit down and watch a stimulating program without murdering animals inside of it?”

“No documentary?” Debbie came closer to him. “Cool. Let’s go.”

Jarod certainly didn’t mean for that to happen. They were supposed to be pretending to be brother and sister. Well, what Broots doesn’t know. Although he wouldn’t be surprised in a few years if Gemini  found a way to ‘accidentally’ attend her school.

Speaking of playing Cupid, Jarod knew the stress level inside of Miss Parker must be at an all- time high. Her father was dead, no mystery to ponder, just dead. The love of her life wasn’t actually a long distance away, but she was carrying Jarod’s kids.

He knew from experience with Zoe, it didn’t make for happy endings. And considering how far she was already stressed, he was going to get to the answer first, so she wouldn’t have to worry.

It wasn’t hard to find the information once he knew what to look for and where. Thomas Gates had been sent to the hospital for a coma, but more than two years ago he was released. For some reason, he didn’t return to Blue Cove, or at least contact Miss Parker. That part, he didn’t know about either. Another reason he wanted to handle this first.

He wouldn’t ask him anything about Miss Parker. Just call him up as his old friend first, like he used to. He grabbed the home phone and made the call.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Thomas,” Jarod said, happy to hear his voice. “It’s Jarod, remember me?”

“Oh. Jarod? Wow, I haven’t heard from you for . . . hm, years hasn’t it been?”

“Yeah. Lost touch. Heard you were in a coma.”

“Some time ago, yeah. I called your number but it said it had been disconnected. I looked for you, but couldn’t find your last name.”

“I go through a lot of phones,” Jarod admitted. “Name change too. So? How’s it been?”

“Doing great.”

“Still in construction?”

“Absolutely. Nothing like building the world.”

“Yeah.” That’s why Jarod had liked him. “Did you ever make contact with anyone else? I mean, why were you in a coma in the first place?”

“See, that’s the scary thing, Jarod. I don’t know how it happened. I fell asleep, and then I woke up like two years later. Man, after that experience, I just had to get out.”

“That is strange.” The Centre didn’t even try for an accident. “What about the girl you were seeing?”

He sighed. “Missy.”

“Yeah. Her,” Jarod said.

“I’d been gone two years, and, I don’t know. I. My house, my job, my whole identity pretty much. It all just seemed to go offline. Everything just . . . I had to restart again. I had to get out and restart again. Besides, I wanted to get out anyhow and move to Oregon before all this and she didn’t want to. Maybe I could have convinced her, but showing up in her life again like that. It didn’t feel fair.”

“You were scared she’d have someone else?” Jarod asked.

“Yeah. It doesn’t matter, its ancient history now. I probably would have lost her when I went to Oregon.”

“Maybe not. Maybe she loved you more than you think,” Jarod said.

“I don’t know. What are you up to?”

“Oh, this and that.” Damn. How was he going to do this? “What if she did love you, now, but she was stuck in a predicament. Say, pregnant with another man’s kid. But, it was an accident. How would that make you feel?”

“Oh, Jarod. Not these twenty questions right now. I forgot how much you like to analyze stuff. Oh. Here sweetie, here’s your ball.”

Jarod heard the sound of a small ball, and laughter of a small child on the phone. Oh no. Life moved on for him. He heard a woman’s voice calling out too. “Sorry about the analyzing. You know me.”

“Yep, I sure do,” Thomas chuckled. “Anyhow, I gotta go. Great hearing from you again. Stay in touch, Jarod.”

Jarod hung up the phone. Maybe it was for the best? Zoe never even left him an opening. Thomas might have been the same way.

“Is mom going to be getting up soon, Dad?” Gemini asked coming back into his room.

Jarod was going to tell him that he wanted her to rest at least a couple of days, but as he looked toward Gemini and Debbie’s hands, something else fell out of his mouth. “Brothers and sisters don’t usually hold hands like that.”

“They bond very close,” Gemini said. “I believe that sometimes the older sibling holds the hand of the younger one.”

Jarod glanced at Debbie. She was glowing red. “Sometimes. You two go relax, play, and enjoy the day. I’ve got some work to do.” He watched them sail out of the house like they were on a summer breeze to go play outside.

The way Miss Parker reacted, it sounded like The Centre might be a little vulnerable right now, and he wanted to dig deeper into it. Maybe he could find out about Kyle, if he was alive. Or his mother. Or maybe even into Miss Parker. If she was really preventing me from being given to The Triumvirate, there must be a letter or two.

He had no idea how wrong he was with just ‘a letter or two’.

------------------------

The Deepest Parts of Africa

“I don’t want to open it, you open it.”

“No, you.”

“Come on, fellas,” Jarod said. “I’m not going to bite. I just need out. You know what Bhek said.”

“It is true,” the worked looked at the other one. “They said we have to. Let’s just give him the injection and open it. On the count of three.”

“You do the injection.”

“You do the injection.”

“Why don’t I do the injection?” Jarod held his hand out for the needle. It was quickly dropped in his hand while each one moved a long ways away. Jarod expertly gave himself his injection and dropped it to the ground. “Okay, guys. You have to open the doors. In order to let a person out. This is basic hospitality, one on one.”

“I hold left. You hold right.” Each of them trembled as they held their hands over the release buttons. As soon as the alarm started to sound, they split.

The door started to go up. Jarod walked out, watching it go up. He trotted away to a giant helicopter waiting for him. “Oh, look, a helicopter.” How neat. He approached it with a wide, big smile. “I’ve never flown one before. This is going to be a great adventure.”

“The Triumvirates now have control over the Centre. There are no Parkers running it, which makes things complicated,” the Zulu inside of it said. “Your information is on the side. You have all copies of every Pretend Jarod has done with any copies of any ID’s. Pick one.”

“Super,” Jarod said. “But calling me Jarod, and calling him Jarod is a little confusing,” he pointed out. He smiled. “I should add to my name. What’s my last name?”

“Triumvirate calls you Devil.”

Jarod nodded. “Jarod Devil. Hm. I like Hades better. How about Hades? Jarod Hades. I like that. It sounds real.”

“Fine, Jarod Hades.”

“Yes?” he chuckled. “Yes, I like it.” Jarod took the papers and looked through them. He whistled. “Jarod’s been busy, hasn’t he?” He chattered his teeth. “I want to try gum again.”

“You can try some before you accomplish your goal. One only.”

“Well alright, I can’t wait!” He jumped into the helicopter. “This is great. Do I get to learn how to fly one of these things?”

“Probably.”

“Actually, I should already know. I just finished a simulation over the helicopter. Bhek said he wanted to see how good I could be.”

“I am flying it right now.”

“Not anymore.” Jarod smiled at him, grabbed him by his jacket, and listened to the sound of the pilot’s echoes as he scooted over, taking the place of the screaming man. “Echoes are neat up here.” He looked at all the buttons and gadgets. He felt himself becoming a pilot behind the wheel, just like in the simulation. Except now it was real. “Whoo hooo!” He yelled happily. “Real world, here I come again.”