Disclaimer: Please see Chapter 1 for the usual statements
Author's note: Again I apologize for the long delay in posting this chapter. Life has been very difficult but in addition to that, I made some changes in my thinking about this plot. I hope all that read this truly enjoy it!
Mission Impossible
(Chapter 21 -
Source)
The trip back had been uneventful except for the heaviness in the air between them. Jarod could tell from Parker's closed expression that she was reconstructing the face she had abandoned during their long weekend together. He wanted to say something, but nothing would come to mind. He knew she did this to survive; to expect or demand anything different would be unreasonable. The weekend had met all Jarod's most ardent expectations and though he had initially been apprehensive—given his past experiences and her reputation, now after the fact, he was glad of their liaison. He spent the time driving at top speed back to Blue Cove formulating a plan on how the two of them could stay together. The only troublesome spot in his pleasant reveries was Parker's growing ability to anticipate him. Never before had she demonstrated this skill and for it to show up now left him with a bevy of unanswered questions.
After having Jarod drop her off at their pre-arranged spot, Parker retrieved her Lexus from the garage facility, paid the usual fee and roared off towards the Centre. Her bags she left in Jarod's possession since something inside her warned that Raines would push his authority and have her vechicle searched. The last thing Parker wanted was for Raines to have proof that she had spent the weekend with a man. The demented ghoul would set his own sweepers on the mystery and do everything in his power to discover her lover's identity and that would be disastrous. She didn't mention any of this to Jarod, just quietly asked him to drop her things off at her place when he had a chance. She knew he was concerned about her but she didn't want to be distracted by her thoughts and feelings for him. It crossed her mind that he seemed to be less of an enigma to her than before, but she shrugged and figured it was their growing closeness that effected this change.
It was early evening by the time Parker arrived at the massive complex. She had entered through a rarely used entrance and slowly made her way through several interconnected and equally unfrequented passageways towards her office. The voices began chanting clearly in her mind. Something had happened and Raines was unhappy because it was her precautions that had discovered it. Parker smiled self-consciously, knowing without a doubt that Remy would be waiting for her around the next corner. Her second had been watching the monitors and spotted her arrival.
"Director, I hope you enjoyed your weekend," Remy stated as she rounded the bend. Once again his accent gently rearranged his words into a pleasant burr. Remy also noticed that as of late he had been completely unable to surprise his boss. After being freshly hired, he had purposely laid in wait for Parker in order to startle her, which he did, and received an angry scowl as a reward—to Remy, a thing of beauty. From then on he took care to find new ways of startling her. That no longer happened. Now it was he who was greeted with a wry, thoroughly unsurprised twist of the lips and a nod of welcome.
"Talk to me. I have at least another 36 hours before I was due back. What did you find during the security sweeps?"
"The boys discovered an anomaly in an executive's paperwork. New guy raised a red flag, then Michael had a look an' then passed it on to me. We have the fellow in custody," Remy intoned as he fell effortlessly in step with his beautiful superior.
"An executive?" Parker asked as her gait slowed significantly. "Who championed him?"
Remy understood her reference immediately. "Dr. Cox seems to have recommended and pushed the fellow though. His requests were rubber stamped by the Chairman, bypassing our usual protocols."
"Someone from his staff?" she asked as she came to a complete stop.
"Non, Ma'am. Fella was put in the Finance department, working out budgets for routine projects. We have accountants going through every transaction he approved or checked or even looked at. Broots an' his folks are going over his computer with a fine tooth comb and checking the system for any anomalies he might of added. Seems the Project Financing department has a lotta redundant procedures, so Mr. Leary didn't have a chance to do much damage on their end. Being a newbie, they only gave him access to fairly low-level assignments."
Parker's eyes narrowed at the mention of the name. "Leary? Wait a minute, am I thinking of the right person?" she muttered quietly to herself. "Geez, the look-alike. You say Cox and Raines brought him in?" At Remy's affirmative nod, Parker began walking again. "I figured his looks weren't a coincidence. The thing I don't get is the reason. Mixing work with pleasure is for armatures. They're up to something and I have a bad feeling it has everything to do with me. Now their man turns out to be a security risk at best, a spy at worst."
"The Chairman threatened to issue a Schedule 7 if I hadn't heard from you by 8:00pm."
"A Schedule 7?? Give me a break," she replied in a voice full of disgust. "Prelim Drug Development must've given his oxygen tank a shot of psychedelics. Next, he'll be dreaming up another crackpot conspiracy theory. You know, the manager of PDD owes me. We'll have to make sure they cook up something special just for the Chairman. Reality is a long time in teaching that old ghoul some manners."
"Bien entendu, cher. (Of course) Did you get my text messages?"
"I read them on my way in. Fill in the details for me," she replied, automatically turning down a semi-dark hallway that was unfamiliar to Remy who followed along side her without hesitation. Remy was unaware but Parker was obeying the voices by taking the route less traveled, neatly avoiding being ambushed by her twin.
Twenty minutes later, Parker was standing at the front of the elevator car. Given her lofty position and her past, she took advantage of never having to unnecessarily ride in a crowded elevator. Parker knew her mother didn't actually die in the conveyance, but after living a lifetime believing the lie, it was difficult to shake the habit. As a result, only a part of her entourage was allowed in with her. As she stepped through with Remy, Geoff elbowed his way past to edge out a scowling Michael and took the last spot in Parker's elevator. In a second elevator, Michael and Sam arrived seconds later on SL-27.
"What in the hell are we doing down here?" Parker aggrievedly asked no one in particular.
Not fully understanding her pique, Remy answered, "The prisoner was brought down here by Chairman Raines' personal sweepers. He gave orders for us to meet him at the eastern end of this level."
This was a first time visit for everyone except Parker and Sam. The burly sweeper remained silent and as if in response to Remy, Sam stepped up to walk along side Parker opposite Remy. Geoff wondered about the protective stance the senior sweeper took and kept his attention alert for any potential threats.
Nothing further was said as Parker led the group to a set of double doors and after pausing and taking a deep breath, she yanked them open to have them immediately caught by both Remy and Sam as the group filed through.
"Feeling insecure, Sis? Or does SL-27 hold any particular fondness for you?" Lyle asked. His eyes slid lazily past his victims, Michael and Geoff before ignoring Remy and settling on Sam.
Parker disregarded Lyle's presence and walked up to face both Raines and Cox. Raines was flanked by a tall steroid-happy goon trying hard to look like a sweeper. Willie belatedly walked in and whispered in Raines' ear—Raines didn't allow any reaction, that is if he could have one, to show on his usually dour face. Cox tilted his head to one side as though evaluating Parker, her responses and measuring them against her temperament.
"What's going on here? This situation was uncovered by my team and we're going to handle this by the book before turning him over to the Feds. Not to worry, Mr. Chairman, we'll spend some quality time questioning him. I'll even let you watch."
"I don't believe you have the full story, Miss Parker. Discretion in this case is the better part of valor. Perhaps it would be best to send some of your entourage packing before going any further," Cox replied with calm assurance.
Raines breathed loudly and when there was no reply, Raines stated, "That wasn't a suggestion, Miss Parker."
"The moment I take 'suggestions' from Dr. Mengele is the second I walk out of this Saw re-make. Why did you bring the prisoner down here?"
When it became clear that neither man had any intention of answering her before she complied with their request, Lyle piped up to keep the turmoil boiling between his sister, Cox and their so-called 'father'. "This is a win, lose situation we have before us. Seems you've made quite the catch. From all accounts, our guest here is a Source asset and no one's found out that little fact until now. Guess one slipped through the cracks. Your people dropped the ball before picking it up again."
Still without looking at her sibling, Parker trained her gaze on Raines and stated unequivocally, "My people discovered this breach. You and Cox were the one's who pushed through his application. My division had no hand in his background checks. Now I'm wondering if that's because of his supposed qualifications, or perhaps his looks. If it was the former, your ass covering is blowing flatulence in that theory. If the latter, well that means something else altogether. What are you two playing at?"
"Really? I find it interesting that you would make such a leap. I admit that I submitted Mr. Leary's application directly to the Chairman. He was recommend to me by a friend, whom I assure you will be advised of my dissatisfaction. Any accidental resemblance, I'm sure is nothing but a coincidence."
A sardonic scoff came from Lyle, while Parker looked her disbelief. "Whatever, La-La land. If he really is Source, then you should already know there are protocols in place for handling this. We're on the clock so why did you waste any time bringing him down here?"
"His questioning is on a need to know basis. Get rid of you team, Miss Parker. Once we're finished, you will sanitize him," Raines replied breathily.
Parker stepped back and stared at him. Her other 'father' had tried to make her assassinate what turned out to be her own un-beloved twin. Now Raines was trying to test her loyalty in a similar fashion.
"Nice try but I'm not buying. You brought in the trash, it's up to you to clean up behind it. What do you plan on telling the Feds?"
"Nothing. What they don't know, they can not investigate. It's your job to see that this is handled properly, Miss Parker," deep breath. "Insubordination will not be tolerated."
"Hummm, let me see a Director of Security whose hiring procedures were circumvented by the corporate Chairman, in trouble because she found a mole brought in by said Chairman. Then the same executive turns around and conceals this important breach in security from our host government. Have your tantrum but I ducking out before the self-serving sermon bores me to death."
"I have a better idea. Project R still needs a viable research subject. I say this fellow is exactly what the Doctor ordered—so to speak."
"An excellent idea, Dr. Cox," Raines intoned after a long pause, his eyes riveted to Parker's. "There are a number of medical projects that could use our prisoner's input. A long term solution for an inconvenient problem. When we're done with him, I will expect you to eliminate any remains."
Parker grimaced as she mulled over this response. Meanwhile, Raines' mouth stretched in his approximation of a smile as he signaled his sweepers to untie the hapless Tommy look-alike executive from the cage he had been secured against. Willie and his muscled helper had just detached the man and had him standing sandwiched between them when Parker came to a fatal conclusion. She had reached behind her back and pulled her 9mm when a shot rang out in the large room. Every eye turned in time to see the prisoner's legs fold out from under him as he slumped lifeless to the floor. Sam stood upright in the classic sideways shooters stance. His 9mm lowered to the floor as a column of blood began to leak readily from the hole Sam's bullet made in the prisoner's skull.
Cox looked at the weapon in Parker's hand and said laconically, "Excellent shot, Miss Parker."
His voice jarred her as she turned to stare at him. Slowly, Parker holstered her weapon and backed away. A thud sounded nearby as Willie released the body allowing it to fall unceremoniously to the floor. "Problem solved. Find your own cleaners for the mess. Consider this my charity donation, you won't see any more of my generosity for a long time." Parker backed up until she was in the midst of her team before releasing the butt of her pistol, whirled around and walked out of the room, trailing sweepers. She was half way down the hall when the sounds of running footsteps came up from behind. Michael glanced behind him. When he noticed who it was, Michael practically threw himself out of the way to avoid colliding with the runner.
"Parker, wait up. I need a word with you," Lyle called out with a note of satisfaction.
When he reached her, Parker turned and grabbing hold of her twin's jacket lapels, slammed him with some force into the hallway wall and immediately got into his face. "If I ever hear that you've touched another member of my staff without cause, without forewarning, without so much as a note from your psychiatrist, I will not only make sure you're fingerless but you'll be begging delusional daddy back there for a sweeper to keep you company. You wanted my attention you got it," Parker released him and then backed away with fire in her eyes. Her anger had a force of its own that caused all the men in the hallway to stare apprehensively at her with respect—though her stomach gave a nauseating twist as she noticed her twin's admiring gaze. "Back off, little brother. I'm not in the mood."
As Geoff and Michael followed in Parker's wake, Michael turned to Geoff with the same expression of confusion, disbelief and reluctant admiration for their overly complicated boss. They both were as unnerved as Parker at the sight of the debased hunger in Lyle's face for his own twin.
Trader's Inn
Blue Cove, DE
Jarod's return to his team revealed several things at once. Primarily that Geoff was still at the Centre, a part of the recent lockdown that demanded Parker's return. The other items of interest were equally encouraging and disturbing. Modesty took charge filling Jarod in on the problems and progress they encountered while he was away.
"What is this about moving the development lab? Your text was very brief."
"Yes. Thackery's running scared. He's afraid they will eliminate him if this whole farce turns out to be the travesty that it is. To go along with this new attitude, he's given me access to his files and the precious compound. I'm in the process of going over some of the key elements in his documents that need changing. My job made easier and more dangerous. Nothing's as tricky as dealing with a paranoid who thinks he's smarter than everyone else, especially a dimwitted bimbo."
"So, he's underestimating you because of your looks—excellent. He's making this easier than I could've hoped. Is it too much to ask if the victims are named in his paperwork?" Jarod asked with a hopeful smile.
"Sorry, his work is very carefully constructed. All patients are referred to by a reference number only—that's fairly typical. As for misjudging me, of course, anyone with as closed a mind as his, could never consider that a woman might be able to outmaneuver him. He's brilliant but this is almost child's play," she replied with a nod. "Another bonus of the move are the burn bags. I finally got a look at them. Dr. Cox makes sure those in his department are given a generous supply.
"Excellent."
"Okay, that's the good news. The second half isn't so pleasant." He listened with a sinking heart and without interrupting her, trying to get a handle if their mission was salvageable or if he would have to completely rethink their strategy.
"Do you know where the woman who approached you works?"
"No. She didn't even give me her name. She was being very cautious but apparently, she's wary of her handlers as well."
"She should be. I can't see there being much of a future as a spotter. You would learn too much for them to trust you and not enough to know when to get out. The last thing the Centre would want is someone whose been in her position to hang around long enough to become a liability."
"This place is more multifaceted than a prism," Modesty said with a shake of her head. On the surface the Centre appeared to be just another multi-national conglomerate. Scratch just a bit under the surface and the beast took on a different complexion. Take it in at a different angle and it seemed to transform itself before the very eyes.
"You say that someone named Broots gave you a flash drive? He's not one to act on his own initiative without substantial cause. I would guess that someone else is involved, someone he trusts. Did he say who sent him?"
A look of respectful surprise filled her face as Modesty replied, "The head of Psychiatric services, an elderly doctor named Sydney. I've spoken to him and did a little checking. His resume is quite impressive and his theories about the treatments are practically intuitive."
"Then it was Sydney who put together your data. He was the one who told Broots what to look for and who needed it. Does he accept your cover? Any idea if he knows about what Cox is really up to?"
"Yes and no. He's a wily customer; plays things very close to the vest. He suspects that I'm more than just a mere psychiatric assistant. What concerns me is that he seems genuinely upset over what he's been told about this project but I have no idea where he is in the social pecking order, what his resources are or what kind of influence he has in this place."
"The sooner we can revise and execute our original tactics, the less chance Sydney or anyone else can become a factor. Keep an eye out for him but try to avoid giving him any more information. What about the data he gave you? Is there anything useful in it?"
"Not really. It's more along the lines of what I was originally given; heavily redacted with only a few specific traits to assist in an assessment but still not enough information to actually ID the victims. It's strange. I saw a greeting between Miss Parker and Sydney a while ago. At first I thought they were at odds, but when I followed him to his office, there was a picture of her on his desk. He seems oddly paternal towards her."
"Sydney had a photo of Parker on his desk?"
"Yes, a college graduation picture from back when she was a teenager. He had it hidden behind a couple larger pictures of his family. When I asked him about it, he said that since the Security Director no longer visited him much, he decided it was safe to put it out. His tone of voice and manner made it seem as if he secretly cares for her. But why the secrecy? If she knew, would she ridicule him, use him or dismiss his love?"
"Interesting," Jarod replied deeply in thought. He always knew that Sydney cared for Parker but the psychiatrist always seemed to observe a hands off approach to her—much more so than he had done with Jarod. Sydney occasionally went so far as to usurp Parker's trust in deference to Jarod, proving that he was a secure inside resource. This reminded him of the agency's other embedded team. Jarod nodded thoughtfully and then walked over to the team's communication equipment. With graceful fluidity, Jarod sent a message to mission headquarters requesting the code information he needed to make covert contact with the leader of the other team. With any luck he would receive the necessary contact protocols within a few days. Jarod wanted to see if the other team was in a position and/or willing to assist without being discovered. As for his elderly mentor, he filed this information away but resolved to mull over it later. He had the greatest respect for Modesty's observations. She had more than proven her accuracy on numerous occasions.
"Alright, this situation with Lyle, has Geoff indicated if Lyle is still focused on him?"
"No he hasn't but the confrontation occurred right before the weekend. Geoff hasn't mentioned whether he's run into him again," Modesty replied.
"Can he use the arm at all?"
"No. It's not even in a cast, which helps in the healing but not for our purposes."
"Jarod, we just received a text from Geoff. Miss Parker has lifted the lockdown and everyone inside is being allowed to leave. His ETA is 15 minutes," Barney called out.
Geoff arrived in time to find everyone on the team waiting for him. He couldn't help but have a sense of relief at the sight of Jarod amongst them, though he refused to allow his relief to show outwardly.
"When you told us this place was about control, about keeping an amoral, brainy ally in check, I really didn't have a feel for your meaning. Now that I do, this place is starting to scare the hell out of me."
Geoff then went on to explain everything that had occurred since he discovered the discrepancy in a now dead executive's paperwork. The usually unflappable agent seemed thrown by the turn of events. Softly he muttered that never before had he been so wrong in his estimation of a person. Everyone knew he was referring to Miss Parker, who had been earning his respect.
"There are still too many unknown variables floating around. Don't jump to conclusions and it's useless to beat yourself up. Just from my limited exposure to the woman, saying she's complex is putting it lightly," Modesty replied while shooting Jarod keen look.
"It was Sam who pulled the trigger, not Parker?" Jarod asked quietly.
"Yeah, but it was clear that she was about to do it. I would've thought that Sam would be chewed out for jumping in like that, but Parker barely blinked. Then she backed out of there like she expected the Chairman to shoot her in the back. What confuses me is that she balked at being told to kill the man and then goes ahead and does it after they make threats about using him in some experiments."
"Modesty is right, you're jumping to conclusions. First, Sam took the shot because I suspect that he was trying to save face for her. Someone at her level doesn't bother getting their hands dirty," Jarod said with a grimace. "Next, you heard them refer to the imposter you found as 'Source'."
"Yes. They mentioned that a couple times. What is 'Source'?"
"Very few companies have no competitors. Any company that has enjoyed success in any business discipline has at least one but most likely several competitors trying to cash in. The Centre is larger than you can imagine, its been around for a long time and it is equally successful. If it wasn't, the Centre would've dried up and blown away decades ago.
"To say they do the dirty work others won't or can't touch is just the tip of the iceberg of what makes this corporation run. Don't get me wrong, the dirty work is extremely lucrative but there are numerous endeavors the corporation has running. One of the Centre's branches involves private military contracts. They excel in the business and one of their major competitors happens to be a company called the Source. A corporation as large as the Centre doesn't have the time or the inclination to delve too deeply in the seamy underbelly of every venture they get into—the Source has only one focus, PMC. They're touchy and are constantly trying to prove themselves the equal to the Centre—they're not. This obsession has led them down some dark, ugly roads."
"Sort of like a company with a short-man's complex, eh?" Modesty asked with a smile, trying to lighten the mood of the room.
"Exactly," Jarod agreed.
"Okay, the Source is a competitor. Why kill the guy?" Barney asked.
"The Centre is involved in a number of highly classified projects and research. Most of which has nothing to do with the government and in many cases with foreign governments. What this guy was doing was equal to industrial espionage," Geoff replied slowly.
"Correct. And there are a number of allied governments that would appreciate the Centre's direct solution rather than have them hand over the guy who would have a good chance of getting a public trial. As it is, the Centre will have to do some heavy duty internal investigations to figure out what data he had passed on to his superiors. Then there's the mention of experimentation. I can only imagine Parker's reaction to Raines' suggestion of using the prisoner as a guinea pig. She knows whatever they were planning on doing to him would be beyond horrific. Killing him quickly might have been an act of mercy," Jarod explained quietly. His team watched his every move and expression.
"How do we proceed with everything that's happened?" Jonas prompted.
"I have a contingency plan in mind. I need to think it through before going forward. Geoff, Modesty, keep your covers intact until further notice. Modesty, I'll need you to step into the first portion of Geoff's part in this mission. Barney will be your contact and back up. To that end, you'll have to pick up some items to alter you appearance. We don't have the time to make anything as complete as what Geoff usually cooks up but just enough to befuddle anyone several yards away. I'm hoping to put Plan B in action by the end of the week. Is there anything else?"
"How was your weekend?" asked Modesty.
"It went well, better than I'd wanted," he replied leaving Modesty with a puzzled expression. "If that's all, then I'm headed over to Parker's to see how she's doing."
"What?!" Geoff exclaimed. "Jarod, I honestly think you should give her some space. Lots of space. When I left her she wasn't in the best of moods."
"I appreciate your concern. I'm asking both of you to keep up appearances, I can do no less. Besides, Parker is probably feeling pretty lousy about now. It's the perfect time to find out how she's dealing with this which should help us to figure out what her next move might be."
"I agree with Geoff, give the lady some space. Guilt has a way of making a person want to take their misery out on others," Barney seconded. Once again, Control was taking chances with his life that the situation didn't warrant.
"I know her and after this weekend, better than ever. Whatever you might think, she's not a cold blooded killer."
"This time, protocols should be followed. Wear the bug on your jacket. We'll monitor you to make sure you're not in over your head. If anything goes wrong, then we'll send Jonas in as your backup," Barney stated. Seeing the thoughtful resistance on Jarod's face, he continued, "We'll only listen in for a short time, just to make sure you're in the clear with her."
Still frowning, Jarod held out his arm for Barney to affix the listening device to the inside seam of his jacket cuff.