None of the characters or places belong to me, someone else owns them, I ain't making any money out of this!

Something lurks deep in the sub levels of the centre…something that is now coming to the surface….

In my Mind

By Happy Camper

Chapter One

She had wandered into the hallway.  She knew she wasn't supposed to be out there, she'd get in trouble and…usually there were people out there…too many people.  She disliked people…especially the skeleton man, they had mean thoughts, about other people, about death and other projects but…she had sensed something stronger in the hallway so she had punched in the code to the door (courtesy of one of the sweeper's minds) and wandered out.  Something had been in the hallway, stronger than the hate and fear that lived down there…it was warm and happy and…soft, comforting.  Someone down there hoped, hoped for something better, hoped for things she had never heard of or seen herself.

It had grown stronger as she followed it.  The adults around her had ignored her, as she had wanted.  People didn't notice her if she wanted badly enough…as they went past they would see her but it would not occur to them that projects weren't allowed to wander around down here.  She wandered past doors and…she stopped, and saw it, the room, the evil place, the place where the skeleton man-Raines-did those things to people changed them, maybe it would be her turn one day.  She took a deep breath and a step forward.  The evil clung to the place, heavy in the air.  She heard screams long after those who had screamed them had died or…become something else altogether.  She focused on that feeling of hope and stepped in front of the door.  The feeling drew her from the door…further down the hallway, but something stronger…darker held her where she stood. 

The hope withered then.  Shrunk into a shell of what it had been, was destroyed when pain and hate grew stonger still.  She stood hypnotized in front of that door.  Staring into space, consumed by that hatred, she did not understand how one could hate so much…yet.  She barely flinched when the door opened, an anonymous, white coat passing.  And, as it swung their eyes met, her young questioning eyes met eyes so full of fear that they filled her with dread.

He was no more than twenty; he lay, twisted sideways on the bed, and held down to the metal table by surounding doctors.  Time seemed to slow as he stared back at her; she could sense his life leaving him.  She could sense things about him, he could sense her too and it was at that moment that something dark passed between them…not a physical thing or an innocent thought.  Something escaped his dying body and filled her mind, blocking all other thought…her mental shield broke; her thoughts ended returning to more primal instincts.  As the door shut, the man finally gave up to death.  As the door shut, she started to scream.

*****

Miss Parker swung the door inward and stepped inside her office.  She turned the light on and marched across to her desk.  She had barely sat when her phone began to ring.

"What?" she paused, "What Broots?  This had better be good…what…get the jet." she hung up, cutting him off.  She paused a moment, pinching the bridge of her nose.  She was getting a headache, and the day had only begun.  She briefly thought that maybe today would be the day; but she reasoned; Jarod would just be a ghost again.  God I hate my life, she thought as she closed the door behind her. 

It should have been straightforward.  She would just stride as she always did out to her car and drive to the centre airstrip, it was barely a minute long drive; she did it all the time.

It had started to rain, that thick heavy rain that fell in sheets.  The windwipers on her car were at full speed.  She picked up the phone from the seat beside her, she wanted to ask Broots how long the rain would last and when they could take off.  As she glanced down at the seat, she didn't notice the figure, gostly white, wander along the side of the road, and in front of her car….

*****

"The girl is in a coma, they don't know if she'll wake up," he stated it simply.

Broots looked down at his hands.

"Uh…how is uh Miss Parker taking it?"

"They rushed her off before I could talk to her, you know they had to make sure she wasn't hurt."  Sydney took the seat beside Broots as he said this.  He matched Broot's position, staring at his hands.

"She looks so young, god, I can't believe this, what was she doing outside in that weather?"

"I don't know."  Sydney replied, "I wonder how she got out."

"Got out?"

"She was a project, one of Raines'."

Broots was silent.  He had seen the young girl; she was barely older than Debbie….

Mr. Parker strode into the infirmary then, his brow wrinkled into a frown.  He spoke quietly to the receptionist, too quietly for Broots to hear what was being said.  Broots was almost surprised to see the chairman down in the infirmary, even if his daughter had just been involved in a car accident.  Broots sat lost in thought, staring at the back of Mr. Parker's head.  He physically jumped when Mr. Parker turned around to look in his direction. 

"Sydney, what are you doing here?"  He snapped.  Sydney stood up and stepped towards him.

"Mr. Parker, Broots and I were supposed to meet your daughter at the airstrip…a lead on Jarod, I…."

"Jarod?" Mr. Parker cut him off, "Well what are you two still doing here?  Take a sweeper team and go get him!" 

Sydney stood frozen for a moment, aware of Broots looking back and forth between himself and Mr. Parker.

"Yes sir." He said simply and turning to glance at Broots, walked towards the elevator.  Broots scurried after him.

*****

It had been two days since the accident.  The lead on Jarod had led them on a fruitless search of a motel where Jarod had been staying.  Broots was beginning to wonder what had happened to Miss Parker.  He had been told that she was being kept in the infirmary for observation yet they would not let him visit her.  When Broots had asked Sydney if anything was going on, he had received a cryptic reply, which suggested that Sydney was looking in to the matter.

He woulndn't admitted it but he was worried about her.  He had barely been able to work without worrying about Miss Parker.  It was suspicious, but then again, everything in The Centre was suspicious if looked at in a certain way.  His train of thought was interupted by Sydney's entrance.

"Come on Broots, they're going to let us see her." He said, already turning to leave.  Broots stared a second, then jumped up and ran after him.

*****

Her dark hair lay across the pillow, a contrast to the white pillow and her pale face.  Tubes snaked across the white sheets into her arms, connecting her to various machines.  Broots stood silently as he watched Sydney sit beside her.

"She's in a coma, they think." Sydney said, resting his hand on the edge of the bed, not daring to take her hand in his own…there was always someone watching.

"They think?"

" Well, they're monitoring her and…doing everything that they can for her." Sydney simply stated, turning back to Miss Parker.  Broots looked at him silently.  Sydney had been doing that a lot lately…not answering his questions, changing the subject.  He no doubt had his reasons, but Broots wondered what they were.

*****

"This is Sydney."

"Hello Sydney."

"Jarod! How are you?"

"Where is she Syd?"

"Miss Parker?"

"She hasn't been back to her house in three days."

"She had an accident Jarod."

"What, is she okay?"

"Jarod, she…there's something wrong, she got out of the car and went to help the girl…."

"What girl?"

"The one that she hit with her car."

"So she's okay?"

"That's just it, she's not okay…she, she won't wake up and…."

"A coma?"

"They've been monitoring her brainwaves and…there are some…abnormalities."

"What do you mean?"

"The girl she hit…I don't know much, but I do know that she was one of Raine's more…promising projects.  As far as I know she had unusual…abilities."

"So she did something to Miss Parker?" Jarod cut him off, his concern for Miss Parker evident in his voice.

"Look, I managed to get her file, I'm e-mailing you the relevant section now."

"Thanks Syd…oh and Syd?"

"Yes Jarod?"

"…Nothing…I'll contact you again."  There was a click and a tone, and Sydney hung up.  What was Jarod going to do?  Sydney had no idea, but he knew that Miss Parker was in good hands.

*****

Jarod sat in silence after hanging up on Sydney.  None of this made any sense, Miss Parker was hurt and that was all that mattered.  He opened his e-mail and found the e-mail from Sydney.  There were about five pages of hand written notes.  The date at the top of each page was 23rd July 2000.  Jarod didn't recognise the handwriting but he did recognise Sydney's note at one paragraph.  "Important", with a little arrow pointing to the text. 

"…. Subject was found in hallway.  The sweeper involved in the incident was reprimanded and moved to a lower security project.  Subject has been unresponsive since the incident.  Brainwave monotoring has revealed different pattern than original abnormality that indicated subject's abilities.  Perhaps it is just coincidence but subject was recovered outside room housing project 34972b which was recently terminated due to the subject entering a state similar to present subject's unresponsive state…"

Jarod frowned at the screen, confused.  What was he dealing with?  Jarod shut down his laptop; hurredly threw his few possesions into his bag and headed to reception to check out of the hotel.  If Miss Parker was hurt…was in danger, then he had to do something.  Jarod began planning what to do next as he absent mindedly handed in his key and left the hotel, heading for his car. 

To be continued….

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