Author's note: Dexter Morgan is a character from both print and TV (Showtime's Dexter) about a serial killer who only kills according to a code: criminals who have gotten away with murder or other serious crimes.

Mission Impossible

(Chapter 28

plans of mice and men)

The Centre
Biological Research – Level 5
Blue Cove, DE

Once all his guests had left, Geoff leaned back in his chair and stared at the closed door for several seconds. He heaved a huge sigh of relief and relaxed for a moment. Miss Parker, now that was quite a woman. One day, he would like to have her tell him how she could see past his disguises. What was it she saw that others didn't? Geoff got up and went to the safe, putting on a show for anyone who would bother to look—such as Raines and Cox. For the next several minutes he performed for the cameras as he had practiced prior to getting his arm broken. And though he performed for the cameras his brain was spinning. His impulse was to deviate from the established plan and get the hell out but there was something in the way Parker handled the situation that told him he was secure. She now knew he worked for Jarod but still hadn't exposed him. His admiration of the woman, once shaken when he witnessed the execution of Raines' captive at Parker's command, rose to its previously high level. Finally, after a reasonable amount of time spent pretending to read over some dreary documents and looking worried, he left the lab and headed straight for Thackery's rooms. Everything had to make logical sense and retiring to his own rooms to brood was, according to Modesty, well within Thackery's psychological profile.

Level 7

Modesty followed the strange man through the vents. Though she made it a point to stay in shape, she found herself sweating and panting between floors just to keep up. The shaggy-haired man wasn't affected in the least with the quick pace or close, confined quarters and seemed to focus his entire being on the task at hand; added to that he seemed to have almost abnormal strength. Jarod had told her that he would send his inside informant but this man seemed hardly able to foot the bill. Everything about him indicated that there was something very wrong with him. At worst he was mentally retarded at best; a savant of some sort. Jarod being the brainy fellow he was, the latter was far more likely. But the question she entertained herself with was how had Jarod met him and gained his trust?

Modesty helped ease Thackery's dead weight through the opening between floors. The man waited only a few seconds for her to catch up before scrambling away with Thackery in tow. They seemed to go on for miles. In some ducts, they were obliged to crawl on their bellies which made the going even slower since Modesty had to push for every other pull, to keep the doctor's body moving. Finally, her untiring guide stopped—apparently they arrived at their destination. Despite the unforeseen obstacles, they had made good time. Modesty waited patiently as the shaggy haired man gingerly removed the grate and quietly set it down inside the darkened room. He was gone only a few seconds when he peered into the opening and waved for her to come out. Modesty shoved the doctor's dead weight to precede her when the body abruptly slid out of the duct. She quickly followed and breathed deeply in the darkened silence.

Glancing down at her watch she whispered, "It took us less time than either Jarod or I figured. We have about 15 minutes to load this garbage", she indicated Thackery's still form with a nod, "into the crate and move it out to the corridor."

The quiet savant looked at her uncertainly and shuffled a few steps away without replying. Modesty stared at him openly and then smiled knowing suddenly that the man was indeed a savant. Though his face seemed vacant, there was intelligence in the depth of his eyes, a self-awareness that told her he wasn't the typical savant. The clinician inside her reasoned that his current behavior showed a huge measure of trust—for Jarod and his judgment not for her specifically. If what she had seen of the Centre was a judge of anything, she would guess that perhaps the doctor's here had discovered him as a child in an institution of some kind. It made her wonder if he had been born this way or slowly sank into autism when he was a child. Shrugging to herself, she took off the large messenger bag that held her clothing and looking over at the man again said in a softly modulated voice, "I'll need to change my clothes. Would you like me to help you with this guy first?"

Her answer was a steady stare, as though he hadn't understood a word she said. Fortunately, Modesty had dealt with autistic / savant behavior before and decided she would demonstrate a willingness to assist without having to touch him or invade his space. Placing her heavy bag on a nearby chair, she looked around and didn't find anything to use to pry open the lid of the crate. Tentatively, she tried to lift the crate's lid to find it hadn't been secured yet. She slid it off and by the time she turned around the mysterious savant had halfway lifted the doctor's body while he looked inside the crate. Without hesitation, she lifted the doctor's feet in order to guide the lower half of him inside the crate. The savant held onto the body shaking his head.

"I already gave him a powerful sedative. He won't be waking up anytime soon. It's okay the dump him inside. This jerk has had this coming for months. I only wish I could be there when the authorities wake his sorry ass up."

Only a pause delayed them as Angelo gave a half-smile, and lifted Thackery's body a little further as Modesty fed the doctor's feet and legs into the crate. Angelo then allowed gravity to take over as he slowly released his hold on Thackery's clothing. By this time, Modesty found a box to stand on and arranged the doctor's body so he would fit inside the crate without banging around too much. When she was finished, her companion retrieved a small container and watched as she began to hunt for the item Geoff had left her. A small sound of triumph came from her, as Modesty pulled a large item from under a dusty desk and walked over to the crate. She had to gently bat Angelo's hands away as she placed the box inside the crate—its area was just large enough to snugly cover the inside of the enclosure completely concealing Thackery's presence. Inside the box were an assortment of the small furry creatures that had become such a hit with the Centre employees. Getting a closer look at them, Modesty smiled at their odd cuteness. Geoff had claimed it had been extremely difficult getting a hold of so many. Angelo smiled at the result when Modesty was finished. It gave the impression of the crate being full of the stuffed animals with no indication that someone was hidden underneath. Quickly he began slathering the edges of the opening with a sticky epoxy. Before he closed the lid and without him noticing, Modesty slipped 2 of the creatures out of the box. Angelo turned and replaced the lid, lightly pounding on the top to seal the adhesive. Air holes had already been cut in each corner of both the box and crate and made to look like handholds instead of their true purpose.

Modesty opened the door only slightly, blindly aiming Jarod's little device at what she approximated where the security cameras were located. It took her 2 tries before the green light started flashing and then settled down. Afterwards, the two of them shoved the crate outside the door and into the empty corridor, before returning the camera's view to normal.

Level 3

The security division occupied the entire third floor. Every project in which security was assigned, initiated or assisted in had been designed, implemented and controlled from this level. This was Parker's domain and she brooked no dissension or interference from anyone, including the Chairman. Contracts involving Centre security in the form of personnel, hardware, software, strategy or implementation of any of the above elements or combination thereof were designed and drawn up at her direction. There were even a few ventures that Parker created independently that even her closest lieutenant was unaware existed.

Parker strolled through her domain with equal parts distraction and anger. How Jarod could have planted his "contact" so close and deep within her little corner of the corporation was disconcerting. What further pissed her off was the fact that she liked the squirrelly sweeper named Greg. He was nuts but Centre-style nuts which she could accept and he was both intelligent and loyal—albeit, his loyalty, she just found out, was actually to Jarod and not herself. All her preliminary plans for that odd-ball were quashed the second she saw him in that goofy get-up. The disappointment smoldered afresh as she realized that she would have to choose someone new to nurse her private projects along. As Parker walked through the corridors with Remy at her side, it happened again. A weird flash pierced her consciousness like a quicksilver lance and caused her to falter in her brisk step. Usually, whenever she tried to access the gift she inherited from her mother, Parker found that focusing directly into a bright light source seemed to trigger visions—either of the past or the future. However, in the past few days the "gift" seemed able to trigger itself and announce its presence with a blinding light. According to this unsolicited vision, it seemed Greg would somehow still figure into the plans she had made for him—which made absolutely no sense. Jarod's usual helpers typically disappeared along with him. Parker shook her head and breathed deeply to shake off the light sense of vertigo she usually got from these "insights". Trying to make sense of them was useless. The only thing she could do in most cases was wait for events to catch up that would eventually explain what she had been shown.

"Ever'thing alright, Director?" Remy asked with obvious concern.

"Yeah, I guess so. I'll be okay. Do me a favor and keep an eye on Cox. I have a feeling he's up to something that will either be illegal or overboard. Worst case scenario—both."

"Yes, Ma'am. Wat about you?"

"I think I'm pretty safe here. Also check up on our version of "Dexter Morgan" for me. Let me know if he's doing anything out of character or something out of the ordinary or strange…uh, horror movie strange." Together they entered the surveillance control room. When they entered the large bullpen, Parker paused looking around while Remy headed towards his favorite station to quickly locate Cox, since it was a good bet that Lyle was doing something strange anyway. Parker's eyes found the person she was seeking and immediately made a beeline for the supervisor of DSA surveillance.

"Joris, just the person I wanted to see. Pull up the feeds for the warehouse and the main corridors that lead to it, including passage 7-062a."

Without looking around or questioning, the tall Dane immediately typed in the requested DSA-feeds and displayed them on each of the 10 20-inch LCD screens in front of him. He had recognized her voice instantly. Since she had been put in charge, Joris had first been elevated to his rightful position and then given lead on several sensitive assignments that were for Security Eyes Only. His discretion was total and unequaled by everything but his loyalty. Early on, after meeting Parker during her stint with corporate, Joris realized with a start that no one lived in a bubble. Even a big-wig's daughter needed someone to listen and on occasion give advice. He was astonished by her candidness but became further amazed not by her revelations but by his own reaction to her—whatever Parker told him, he regarded it as sacrosanct—something that wasn't to be shared or even referenced to in the presence of others and he further took the liberty of bestowing his own brand of common-sense advice. It pleased him immensely whenever he saw his advice in action. He knew almost everything about Parker; including a few things that no one else in the Centre knew about—including Broots or Sydney. As her long time confidante, he was usually spared from her scathing wit and given his unusually healthy home life, he wasn't tempted by her looks—though he had openly admitted to his wife that his troubled boss was one of the most beautiful women he had ever met. Joris soon came to understand that wherever Parker was, he was assured of a covert friend, a boss whose creative vision seemed limitless; could handle power without becoming a megalomaniac and who possessed something more than a semblance of a conscience.

Every screen in the room changed as Joris programmed the computer to show all the warehouse feeds. Each camera displayed a different corridor and scrolled through every conceivable angle. Parker leaned forward with one hand on the back of Joris' chair and stared intently at each screen until she found the view she wanted.

"Enlarge the view on 7-062a." The camera showed a large packing crate sitting alone in the empty corridor. While Joris zoomed in on the package, Parker smiled as she examined it closely. 'The sonofabitch was good. The damn crate even had the proper Centre stamps that guaranteed its legitimacy for Shipping and confirming that it had already been inspected,' Parker thought with wry amusement. Jarod never missed a trick—especially when it came to the details.

"Tell me Joris, are you working for me exclusively or am I deluding myself here?"

"Ah, your situation with me is very grave, Madame Director. I happen to be your friend," Joris replied with a dry smile in his voice as he cast his superior a sideways glance. Good, she seemed ticked off at someone other than himself. To change the subject to something more interesting, he asked, "Does Broots need any help with that security program he's been working on? I've got a few ideas I'd like to knock around with him involving some new upgrades that should make the clients happy."

"More upgrades? No, Broots told me he finally got all the bugs worked out and is beta-testing it. Any new upgrades the clients will have to pay additional or wait. Give Broots a heads up and see if you can work them into a new upgrade package." While she spoke, Parker kept her eyes on the crate and on the digital time as it ticked down. She pulled out her cell phone and made a quick call. "Søren, you're on. No mistakes means you'll earn a new assignment; screw up and you're back with Sven for 6 more weeks." She hung up abruptly never giving the new sweeper a chance to assure her of his diligence. It took Søren 2 minutes before he was picked up by the cameras hurrying down the corridor pushing a handcart towards the crate. Parker watched as the sweeper stopped a foot in front of the crate and then looked around to see if anyone was watching. He then approached the crate cautiously, spotted the blue inspection stamps and the packing slip, then returned to the handcart and maneuvered it under the package. Without further ado, Søren angled the crate upwards and began wheeling it in the general direction of the warehouse. The sweeper seemed to initially have a hard time of it with the heavy box but continued on doing a good job of acting as if everything was status quo.

Centre – Outside perimeter

Jonas expertly drove the panel van towards the massive loading dock. As instructed, he moved to the near side of the manhole cover and backed the van into position for loading. He immediately alighted from the van carrying a duplicate waybill attached to a clipboard and moved towards the Will Call desk to claim his package with a friendly if vacant smile.

As Jonas was smiling for the suspicious warehouse sweepers, Barney opened the concealed hatch just behind the passenger side seat and eased out of the vehicle. With smooth efficiency, Barney moved out from under the van and silently removed the manhole cover and slipped inside. The tunnel was close and odiferous as he hopped down from the last rung of the ladder. Barney didn't have to wait long before the sounds of approaching footsteps alerted him that he was no longer alone. A light tapping on the tunnel brick, made him relax his stance somewhat as he waited to see if it truly was Modesty rounding the bend.

A shaggy haired man appeared first as he ambled cautiously into the feeder tunnel. Modesty followed closely as she continued to tap on the walls to alert Barney to her presence. Barney gave a half smile as he finally lowered his silenced sub-machine gun and tapped out his response.

"It's about time. I was starting to worry that you forgot about me."

"A beautiful shrink like you? Never. Who's Howard Stern here?"

"Control's inside contact. He got me through the vents and led me here. He's a good guy."

"He coming with?"

Both agents paused as they looked over at Angelo who listened to their conversation as though it was an absorbing tennis match. There was a long pause before he realized that a response from him was expected. Modesty answered for him.

"He would find it difficult to leave permanently, though it would be good for him."

Angelo smiled appreciatively but said nothing. He just shook his head but before he could begin the trek back, Modesty gently held up a hand to stop him. Without saying a word, she withdrew the two stuffed creatures she liberated from the fake top of Thackery's traveling box. Angelo's face lit up into a brilliant smile as he gratefully chose the soft orange colored toy. "Very special. Daughter make. Thank you, Modesty."

Modesty didn't bother hiding her surprise as she smiled at him. Angelo took this as his cue to leave and started down the tunnel the way he came. Modesty called out to him. "Ummm, excuse me, we'll be able to distract everyone for about 5-10 minutes. Will that give you enough time to get back?"

"Yes," Angelo replied. He then whirled and sped down the corridor towards his favorite vents before any alarms could be raised.

"It's a long story," Modesty replied to Barney's puzzled expression. "I'll tell you all about it when we're out of here."

"Let's go. We need to get you hidden before Jonas grabs the package."

Level 3

Parker watched as her sweeper finally wheeled the heavy container into the shipping area of the warehouse. He struggled with the crate and plunked it down roughly on the dock. There was no sound but she could tell by the expressions on the faces of the other sweepers that he was complaining about how heavy the cargo had been. Then the shipping crew went into action. They examined the paperwork on both the waybills and the information in the system. Here again, Jarod's attention to detail came into play. Apparently everything was in order like he promised and the package was allowed to leave.

What happened next made Parker huff with amusement. The guy receiving the crate waited patiently while his paperwork was being verified with the computer system. If he was nervous, nothing in his demeanor betrayed it. He was wearing a baseball cap pulled low on his forehead, concealing his features from the camera. Before Jarod's man could take possession of the crate, the lead dock sweeper halted the hand over by taking the waybill from the shipping Supervisor, examining it carefully and then, as though he weren't satisfied, the sweeper unexpectedly grabbed a crowbar and forcefully pried open the top of the sealed crate. Peering inside he found the mass of furry toys that was clearly listed on the manifest.

"Hey, if I'm missing even one, my boss will know and then will have to call your boss. Don't think for a minute that I'll cover for you. I'm sure this loading dock has surveillance footage," Jonas stated in a matter-of-fact voice.

The head sweeper gave Jonas a hard stare before replacing the lid of the crate and nodding his approval. Once given clearance, the fellow jumped down, knocked on the door of the van which opened immediately revealing another man. The two spoke briefly, while the sweepers, surprised by the second person in the van almost shot both of them. This unpleasant surprise earned the van a quick inspection by the otherwise bored sweepers who after walking around the rear of the van jumped out and gave the all clear to their armed comrades on the dock. Then in a display only Jarod could have pulled off, the first guy returned to the dock, held his arms up when he saw the machine guns trained on him, and when given the all clear, he grabbed the crate that had been so heavy for Søren. He literally picked it up as though it were light as a feather, walked casually to the van and placed it gently inside.

A general pause caused everyone in the area to look curiously at what had just occurred. Her sweeper must have made a big deal out of how heavy the thing was because soon after, everyone was laughing—at Søren. The poor hapless sweeper stared at Jarod's man agape in disbelief which caused all his co-workers to laugh even harder. Parker shook her head in sympathy. She couldn't count how many times Jarod had done that to her, but with her father being chairman, no one dared to laugh.

Joris watched the action alongside Parker with bored impassivity. Finally turning to gaze in Parker's face he said, "Don't forget about me when you leave, Director."

Parker looked at her friend with a puzzled expression, "What are you talking about?"

"That promotion you were given is nothing more than a deathtrap and we both know it. If I were in his position, I would knock you unconscious and drag you off."

Parker knew he was referring to her lover but she would never tell him Jarod's name. The curious thing was Joris seemed to know she was seeing someone before she ever mentioned it, despite her efforts of concealment. "I seriously doubt that. Besides, you know I'm always strapped."

"Huh…yeah, so just don't forget. As your lieutenant would say, 'Would hurt mah feelin's if you did.'" Joris said with an exaggerated Southern accent.

Parker laughed as she headed out the door. The last thing she would forget would be her long time confidante. It was safe to reveal all with him because he was the one thing she had kept her father, Raines even Sydney and Broots from knowing about. He knew just about all her secrets—the ones she told him and the others he figured out by himself. The only thing she had kept to herself recently were the visions, the headaches and the unusual way she could get rid of the latter. There were certain weaknesses about herself that she wouldn't willingly divulge to anyone. Fortunately, the headaches were steadily decreasing in intensity but conversely her need for the cure, Jarod, seemed to grow instead of diminish. Parker frowned at how much she knew she needed him.

Thackery's Quarters

Geoff wandered through the rooms admiring just about everything about the décor. This apartment was very nicely fitted up with expensive furnishings and those small touches that made a man feel more like he was at home. Geoff wasn't sure if he were admiring Thackery's style or the Centre's. He had seen many of the executive offices while hanging out by Parker's side. Most, save Parker's of course, seemed to have been decorated with a heavy art deco hand. That style would've been foreign here.

Geoff paced around with all the impatience of a caged animal. He had to perform for the cameras if anyone would believe his part of this drama. He even yelled, just in case security had audio that they hadn't shared with a newbie sweeper like himself. The pacing part was easy to do because it allowed him the luxury of checking out the apartment with all its various nooks and crannies. To cap off his frustration, Geoff threw himself on the bed and stared up at the ceiling. He needed to stay here for only a few more minutes before his final performance. Eventually becoming bored he glanced around the room and spotted a bookshelf he had overlooked. On the center shelves were a collection of CDs. Geoff scanned the room again but didn't see a stereo or CD player anywhere. He slid off the bed and ambled over to the bookcase openly staring at the CD collection. Everything seemed in order—it contained a small collection of classical music, jazz and chamber music. His fingers flipped throug the CDs when he noticed one had been shoved behind the others. Reaching through, Geoff pulled it forward and read the name on the jewel case—Amy Winehouse. Since when did a snob like Thackery like R&B? Geoff slid the case out and looked at the CD inside. Tiny numbers were imprinted on the center portion of the disc. Geoff smiled as he reached over and slid a couple more CDs out. The shelf behind the CDs was empty. He returned all but the 1st jewel case to the shelf and stood up impatiently, wondering if this was the backup Thackery was using for his experiments. As he did so, Geoff's knee banged into the shelf, spilling a few books from the shelf. He bent down, picking them up and throwing the CD down on the floor in frustration. The case took a bad bounce and broke apart revealing a small white tag. Geoff picked up the pieces and stared at the tag. If he had tried to walk out with this, the theft deterrent system would've sounded and all their hard work would've been turned into a rescue mission for him. Geoff reassembled the case and made sure the tag was back where it belonged. He then slid the books back to their original places and grabbing hold of a shelf with his left hand he felt the rough edges of scotch tape rubbing against his thumb. It was all he could do not to shout in triumph as he felt along the length of the tape until his fingers touched something small. He peeled the object free and without looking at it or appearing more suspicious, he returned to the bed.

The doctor was clever, but according to Modesty, he was a moron when it came to concealment. Trusting Modesty's judgment, Geoff decided to take both media out with him; the CD disc, sans jewel case and the small, scotch taped flash drive that was now in his pocket. Careful not to betray his feelings of triumph, Geoff got up with a sense of irritation and stalked over to the windows. With a deep sigh, he thought, 'Show time!'