Disclaimer: Please see Chapter 1 for the usual statements.
Author's note: I apologize for the long delay in continuing this story. Real life has been getting hairy, leaving little time for writing.

Mission Impossible

(Chapter 11 -
Intrigues)


Trader's Inn B&B
Blue Cove, DE

The group lounged around the dining room table stuffed and satisfied. Jarod watched his team with growing amusement and hid the smile that threatened to show. All that was left of the roast was a bone stripped bare of any significant morsel. Modesty led the way to the living room area, where she sat on the couch with a glass of wine in one hand and leaned back with a deep sigh. The others followed silently.

"Jarod that was the best meal I've had in a long time. Where did you get it?" Modesty asked with a friendly smile.

"I think that was the best meal I've ever had. My compliments to the chef," Barney seconded with a nod.

"Anyone who cooks that well should have the restaurant named after them," Geoff agreed with a satisfied pat of his belly.

Jonas raised his glass in agreement but remained silent. He had eaten the most, which was enough for Jarod to know how he felt about the meal. Everyone had seconds after being surprised by the first bite. Jarod had the least, taking only a small sliver of the roast with half a glass of red wine.

"I'm glad everyone enjoyed the meal. I thought you would appreciate it," he answered with a grin.

"So where did you pick it up?" Barney asked curiously.

"I picked it up at Miss Parker's house after she finished cooking it."

The room went silent as each of his team stared at him in disbelief. It had already been twenty minutes—time enough for the bulk of the meal to be digested—since most of them had finished, except Jonas who had just finished his third helping.

"Parker cooked this?" Geoff asked in amazement. "I noticed that you didn't eat very much."

"That's because I ate with her."

"You had dinner with her? She cooked this for you?" Geoff asked with a growing smile. He knew the book would help but after he started working for her, he only halfway expected it to be effective on Parker.

"No, she cooked it for herself. There's a system she's devised so she can have meals like this without having to go out to restaurants every night. I was there when she returned from shopping and got her to agree to let me have the roast. She's assuming that you're all just a bunch of homeless cases I'm taking pity on."

Modesty laughed in agreement and was soon joined in by the others. Looking at Jarod appraisingly she said slyly, "It seems Miss Parker is improving on you. Is it because of Geoff's dating book?"

"No. Her cold is affecting her current mood. Once she gets over it, I'm sure she'll back to her mean and nasty old self," Jarod replied smoothly. That wasn't his true opinion but he wondered how staunchly Parker would stick to her newfound resolve.

"Her cold? Right, Jarod," Modesty laughed heartily with some amusement. His expression told her nothing, her gut said that Geoff's little romance book was probably backfiring on their wily Control.

The Centre
Psychogenic Division
Blue Cove, DE

Sydney had gone through the last of the psych evaluations that Cox had ordered. As a precaution he had asked for the report written up by Dr. Thackery's assistant, Jennifer, who submitted an evaluation on the one patient her boss had told her profile. Sydney was impressed with Jennifer's conclusions and as a precaution he took it upon himself to weed out a few of Jennifer's observations—just to be on the safe side. Sydney knew it was risky doing this but he didn't want this patient to be laid open for the Centre to use like a soulless guinea pig. Once he was finished, he made a copy of the original findings on a backup disk and sent the altered version and a copy of it to Cox. The elderly psychiatrist was just finishing up with this task when he received an unexpected visitor.

"Hello, doctor."

"Yes, may I help you?"

"You can by telling me what's in that inter-office envelope," the man stated quietly.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?"

"Come now, doctor. You've seen me around," the visitor chided gently. "We have a common interest that I believe we should discuss."

"And what exactly would this 'common interest' be?" Sydney asked as he sat up straighter. A suspicion of the man's true identity finally dawned on him and that perked the psychiatrist's interest immediately.

"Not what but who. Miss Parker is our common interest and it's about time we've had a discussion about her."

"Really? Why?"

"Her future is shakier than her past, doctor. You care about her and I'm interested in keeping her a major player in this place. I believe if we put our minds to it, we can effect some extraordinary changes here. Parker is the key for both of us—my ambitions and your conscience. What do you say?"

"It would be better if we did this elsewhere. These walls have ears, as I'm sure you're well aware."

"Your caution is justified. Meet me at Lindsey's in Sierraton—down the street from the place where I left you that last package. I believe we should be able to talk there without any interruptions or anyone trying to overhear us," the visitor replied. His piercing stare was colder than anything Raines could've conjured up. The man then turned on his heel and left as quietly as he arrived.

Without realizing it, Sydney released the breath he was holding and slumped back in his chair. He was surprised by who the man was and that he chose to reveal himself here in the Centre. As the doctor watched the man slowly disappear, he glanced at the DSA camera in the discrete overhead corner of his office. His eyebrows lifted slightly as he noticed the red activation light wink back on.

Dr Thackery's Office
Level 6

Modesty had searched every inch of Thackery's office to no avail. There was no sign of his patient records. All she could find was a sample of the drug he used to render his victims unconscious. The only conclusion she could immediately come up with was that the doctor carried those files with him wherever he went. If this were true then getting her hands on them would involve a rethinking of her strategy. She was quietly mulling over how to approach the doctor, when he came breezing in the office looking quite pleased with himself.

"Doctor, I've finished making notes of the therapy dosages. Would you like me to include my notes on the patient's charts?" she asked innocently. She figured the doctor would react negatively to her request but was surprised by his almost taciturn response.

"Of course, I'll send you an electronic copy of the file for you to update. Put your notes in the newer file. From now on, I'll send you that file to update as the therapy proceeds," the geneticist replied calmly as he looked over her detailed annotations. As an afterthought he continued, "Why don't you take an early lunch. There isn't much for you to do right now but I'll need you back here at 2:00pm sharp."

Modesty was surprised by this expansiveness. It was only 11 in the morning which gave her plenty of free time to wander around but not in the doctor's office. She had followed Thackery into his office while he continued talking. At the edge of his desk, there was a neglected disk peeking out from under numerous papers. Modesty faked a shocked expression at her generosity, which seemed to gratify the doctor who began to read his email as she deftly slipped the thin case from its hiding place and into her lab coat pocket.

"Thank you very much doctor. I guess I'll be seeing you at 2," Modesty replied as she turned and left the office. She would be heading to the surveillance van stationed near the Parker woman's house to get Jonas to create a copy of the disk if the contents proved to be useful.

Parker residence
Blue Cove, DE

Waking to the sound of rain gently slapping against the panes of her bedroom window encouraged a lazy yawn out of Parker as she stretched herself into another level of wakefulness. She looked around her darkened room. The grayness of the day threw a shaded luminance throughout the room muting everything around her. Far from feeling muted, Parker woke with none of the symptoms she had been suffering from yesterday. She attributed this relaxation from her misery to the pills Jarod had given her. The extra pill bottle encouraged her to take another dose just before going to bed. Her deep sigh sounded loud in the lonely room. Parker wasn't in the mood to go to work and if her symptoms returned while she was there, it was a certainty that her mood would turn fouler than the weather. With a quick call to Remy, complete with her sleep-hoarse voice, she explained that she would be taking another sick day and for him to cover for her. Remy sounded very concerned but she lightly dismissed his concerns, stating that she was feeling better but thought venturing out in the cold and wet would probably force her back into bed anyway.

Remy nodded at her logic while assuring Parker that he would do his best to keep things from piling up. As he hung up, the harried assistant looked around at the growing pile of reports and paperwork that needed his boss' signature. Shrugging, he turned his back to the pile and opened up the Centre's e-mail program. His eyes grew wide when he looked at the ridiculous number of e-mails clogging his in-box. He hoped Parker would be feeling well enough to come in tomorrow. He could just imagine what her inbox looked like.

The source of Thackery's generous mood and expansive good will was because Parker was extremely late coming into work and chances were good that she would call in sick for the second time. This bode well and seemed to lend credence to his hastily made diagnosis that the woman's symptoms would worsen as the viral vector continued to have its way with her immune compromised system. Soon she will be visiting her doctor, a mild analgesic would be prescribed and she would be returning for a week free from any further treatments.

Cox listened to a tape of Parker's sick call. She sounded more tired than ill. Her records didn't indicate any propensity for calling in sick on a whim or to get a day off. The last time she failed to show up for work, a doomed romance with some carpenter fellow was the reason. Since the surveillance team confirmed that wasn't the case here, he was forced to conclude that Thackery's procedure was working on her. Still suspicion ruled his mind and making a phone call, he requested a couple sweepers to be sent to her house to insure that all was well with the Security Director. Raines agreed, since as Chairman, he was the only executive within the Centre that had sweepers who answered only to him and not to Parker.

Cox was an hour too late in dispatching the sweeper team as Jarod keyed in his code and entered the home silently. Unlike Parker, he had only a little sleep with most of the night going over the team's strategy and then reprogramming Parker's alarm system so it wouldn't beep when he entered her house. As sick as she was, he had been afraid that she would make a mistake and shoot him. He strolled into the living room and looked around. Hoping she was still here, he cautiously edged his way into her bedroom and heard the shower going. Relief propelled him back towards the kitchen where he began setting up to do some cooking.

A cloud of fragrant steam flowed out of the overly warm bathroom along with Parker as she emerged, warm, clean and curiously happy. The pressure that had been building up in her head was slowly returning but it was nothing like it had been yesterday. She briefly wondered why Jarod's irritating hugs seemed to relieve the pressure but she was at a loss for a reasonable explanation. Suddenly hungry, she gently pulled her now dry hair free from under her thick robe and padded over to the kitchen for some belated breakfast.

Jarod looked up and smiled as she entered looking fresh and better than she had in the past couple days. He couldn't seem to help himself but he found himself liking her. Sure, she was his old friend but that had been years, decades ago. He was well aware that once someone made a place for themselves in his heart, there was very little that could be done to reverse it. He should know because Parker certainly tried and had tried his patience and temper as well many times. Her change towards him wasn't helping matters for Jarod in the least.

"You look great. I'm making some breakfast for you," he stated as he turned back to a pot on the burner. A loud knock at her front door startled both of them.

Parker walked calmly over to the console next the front door, opened a drawer and retrieved her 9mm before asking who was there.

While Parker was putting in an appearance for the Sweepers sent to check on her well or ill-being, Jarod began putting the finishing touches on her breakfast. A few minutes later, after she sent Raines' pets on their way, Parker quietly returned to the kitchen hungrier than before.

Parker watched him move through her kitchen with a familiarity that couldn't help but irritate her. Jarod already knew too much about her, her family and her job. There had to be a few things left in her life where this man hadn't poked his big curious nose. Breathing in a large sigh of patience, she closed her eyes and messaged her forehead.

"Here you go," he commented loudly. Seeing Parker rubbing her forehead shut down his exuberance but snapped him into action. He got her a glass of juice and produced two more pills that Jonas had recently modified to specifically combat her cold.

Parker had sat down to a steaming bowl of cream of wheat, buttered toast and fresh juice. The food smelled wonderful and she was starting to look forward to having his company. Before she could make a fool of herself by allowing her ingrained training and habits to break her new resolve, hurting his feelings and doing nothing for the uncomfortable feelings she was starting to have for this pretender, Parker looked up and gave him a faint smile.

Concern was in Jarod's eyes as he handed her the pills. "Try these. The other one's I've been giving you were mainly to boost your energy and supplement your immune system. These are geared more towards helping your body to rebuild its defenses. They should be more effective against that flu you have."

"Thank you, Jarod."

He smiled again and sat opposite with only a glass of juice. Before she could protest, he said, "So you're taking another sick day. Good for you. That place has taken more than it will ever give back." He allowed a short pause of silence to envelop the room. Parker began eating tentatively which changed after the first few bites and her appetite made itself known again. Parker looked up with a question in her face and a full mouth.

"Your clothes," he answered swiftly. "By now, if you were going in, you would've come out fully dressed for the weather. I wanted to thank you again for the dinner last night. It was excellent and my friends definitely appreciated it. When you're feeling up to it, I would like to thank you properly and treat you to dinner." At Parker's astonished expression, Jarod laughed and replied as he got up from his seat, "Hey, it's the least I can do. Have a great day, Miss Parker."

"Where are you going?" she asked sharply.

The friendly smile still on his face, Jarod answered, "The project that brought me here is still on-going. Enjoy your breakfast."

"Do you really have to go?" she asked in a rush and then closed her eyes in self-reproach at the desperation in her voice. "Never mind, of course you have better things to do. Umm, thanks for the breakfast," she stammered unevenly as her embarrassment grew with each second. She could even feel an unaccustomed blush start warming her cheeks. Turning her head away from him, she waited to hear the back door open and close. It didn't.

Jarod saw her discomfiture and rather than being surprised he was charmed by it. She was lonely and didn't have many, if any, close friends. It was becoming more apparent that Parker was hanging on to her new attitude very tenaciously. Generosity was a part of his make up so, to relieve her embarrassment, he said, "Getting over an illness can be very boring. I'll come back later after you've had some more rest." With that he left.

Surveillance Van
Half mile from Parker's residence

"So how goes it with the chef?" Barney asked with a smile.

"Fine. She's a bit cranky from being ill but nothing new," Jarod said as he entered the van. "Any word from Modesty?"

"I'm right here, Jarod. I think he keeps the records on him wherever he goes. Geoff has already searched his living quarters and nothing's there either."

"We have to get our hands on those records. The real files and not the optimistic ones he must have handed over to the Centre," Jarod said with a dissatisfied frown.

"I have some thoughts on how to get a hold of Dr. Cox's copies—so that shouldn't be too much of a problem. But I know your frustration. I grabbed this disk out of pique when I couldn't find anything else. We were about to see if there's anything worthwhile on it," Modesty replied.

Barney and Jarod moved over to Jonas' terminal and watched as he loaded the purloined disk into his computer and displayed the files it contained. "I think you hit the jackpot here," Jonas said happily. The disk had numbered files that appeared to be medical records, however when he clicked on one of the files it was empty. After clicking on the third, Jonas was about to give up when the file appeared to still have documents. Clicking the document confirmed his suspicions. Modesty had hit a sort of mother lode.

"Those aren't Centre employees," Barney remarked slowly. "These must be some of the patients that he had in Africa."

"The unfortunate 'befores' he was experimenting on that helped him come up with his new and improved serum," Modesty commented with a sad shake of her head.

"It's not exactly the proof that we needed but it's still very useful. This will give us an idea of where he's headed in his research and if we're lucky, what he's trying to do to his Centre guinea pigs," Jarod added solemnly.

Modesty stared at the printouts made from the disc. A tight fist of dread curled uncomfortably in her stomach as she read what was done and the side-effects experienced by the African patients. She was still at a loss as to the current application of the treatments going on at the Centre. According to the medical files that had been included with the employee records, there was no indication that either of the Centre employees suffered from any form of Cancer. In fact, they all seemed to be perfectly healthy. The frightening aspect was speculating on the ultimate goal. A germ of an idea occurred to her as she turned to Jarod for his input.

"Something I found on Thackery's desk gave me the idea. What if I used a ring needle to knock him out in order to search him?"

"When he woke up he would immediately know it was you who drugged him. What was it that you found on his desk?" Jarod asked curiously.

"It was a sample of the knock-out drug he's been using on his guinea pig patients in the Centre. The thought occurred to me that turnabout is fair play."

A far-away look encompassed his expression as his mind split in two directions; putting meat on Modesty's idea and wondering why the Centre would send a team of sweepers to check on an executive who called in sick. "You're right and I agree turnabout is fair play. I think I know of a way to make your idea work, without exposing you."