The break, when it came, was a lot less dramatic than Jarod had expected.
It had been a few days since he had seen Miss Parker, and he assumed she was
making preparations for their escape. Nevertheless, he was surprised in the
late afternoon when there was a heavy thump outside the door. Jarod sat up in
bed as the locks all clicked open, and Parker pushed open the door. She was
wearing only a black bikini and had a tiny waterproof bag slung over her
shoulder. There was a guard lying unconscious at her feet, and she tossed Jarod
a key.
"Quickly, we don't have much time," she called, and began to drag the man into
the room.
Jarod flung the blankets off, unlocking the ankle shackle. He swung his
legs over the edge of the bed and made to stand up, but found his legs buckling.
He slumped back onto the bed with a soft groan. Miss Parker finished dragging
the man into the door and kicked the door shut, looking up at Jarod in
puzzlement.
"What's wrong?" she asked, swinging her bag off her shoulder and rifling through
it.
"I haven't been on my feet for a few days - just a bit wobbly," Jarod said. He
tried standing gingerly again, and managed to stay upright this time.
"Yeah, well, you'd better find your feet quickly, we're on a budgeted timeline
here. And put these on," Parker said, tossing him a pair of shorts. Jarod
looked at the shorts, at the loose pair of pants he was wearing, and back up at
her bikini clad form.
"Are we escaping, or going on vacation?" he asked. Miss Parker huffed
impatiently, lifting her hair of her neck and tying it in a ponytail.
"Just change into the damn shorts Jarod. I'll even turn around if it makes you
feel any better," she snapped, turning her back on him.
Jarod changed swiftly out of his pants and into the shorts, tapping Parker
on the shoulder when he was done. Together they hoisted the unconscious guard
onto the bed, and Jarod snapped the shackle closed around his leg with a grim
sense of satisfaction. Miss Parker rifled through his jacket pockets, taking
his gun and his hand held radio, while Jarod did a few stretches.
"Okay, are you ready?" Miss Parker asked, pressing the guard's gun into Jarod's
hand and taking her own out of the bag. Jarod nodded, and they crept out into
the corridor quietly.
Jarod stuck close behind Miss Parker as they stole through the compound.
They paused for a moment when a siren rent the air, but Parker urged him on when
nobody came running.
"What happened to all the guards?" Jarod whispered. Parker gave him a feral
grin over her shoulder.
"Can you spell 'poison'?" she said with a snide chuckle, and he frowned.
"You killed them?" he asked, aghast.
"Of course not. Just put them under for awhile," Parker said.
"Oh..." Jarod said softly.
They crept down the length of another corridor, and Jarod startled as a bird
began shrieking outside the window, quickly joined by more. It was a sound he
hadn't been able to grow used to over the last few nights, uncomfortable with
the screaming at both dawn and dusk.
They emerged into the main lobby, and were almost to the door when somebody
cleared his throat behind them. Jarod froze, but Miss Parker wasted no time,
whirling around and holding her gun in front of her. Jarod turned slowly,
raising his gun, not in the least surprised to see Jackson standing there, his
arms crossed over his chest and smiling with derision.
"Taking the captive out for a swim, Ms Mark?" he asked, raking his eyes over
Parker's slim and scantily clad figure. Jarod did the same quickly, and
realised she'd gotten a bit of a tan in the last few days, suggesting she'd
spent a fair amount of time in the sun.
"I thought I might take Jarod home, Dr Jackson," she said evenly, edging closer.
Jackson gave her a dangerous and slightly confused grin.
"Home?"
"Back to the Centre, of course."
Jackson looked disbelievingly from Jarod to Miss Parker. "I wouldn't have
picked you for one of their flunkies, Ms Mark!" he blustered. Parker was now
close enough to pat him down, and she pulled a small pistol from a holster at
his side.
"I'm not a flunky," Parker grated, "And my name... is Parker. Miss Parker to
you."
Jackson paled with recognition of the name, but had no time to say
anything as she gave him a heavy thump on the back of the neck. The Australian
doctor crumpled to the floor, and Miss Parker gave Jarod a grim look of
satisfaction.
"Come on," she muttered.
Just outside the door they stopped, and Jarod inhaled a deep lungful of
fresh air. Parker tucked both their guns into the waterproof bag, looking over
her shoulder before leaning in to speak.
"Halfway down the boardwalk is the first of three cameras. Now, I've knocked
out all the guards in the compound, so nobody would have been watching us move
through the corridors. However, the feed from the boardwalk cameras is watched
on a separate part of the island for security reasons. I've been timing them
the last few days, and if we keep very close together, and you move exactly as I
tell you, then we can stay out of view, understand?" she said, and Jarod nodded.
Together they dashed up the boardwalk, stopping when Parker raised her
hand, the entrance to the beach in sight. She stepped to one side of the
boardwalk, and Jarod searched the surrounding trees until he found what she was
watching so intently - a camera swivelling from side to side slowly.
"Close... closer..." Miss Parker instructed as Jarod positioned himself directly
behind her, so soon his chest was brushing her back. She picked up his hands
with her own and held them to her hips, "Move with me, okay?"
Miss Parker waited until the camera began to move away from them and
started to count under her breath. Her hands held his in place on her hips, and
one finger tapped over the top of his rhythmically, in time to her counting.
"Right foot first, ready?" she murmured.
What came next was a strange, complicated dance. They took six steps
forward, perfectly in time, and stopped, standing almost directly under the
camera and waiting until it began to swing back towards them. When it was
pointing back to where they had started again, they moved again. Within the
range of the second camera, Miss Parker sidestepped them into the centre of the
boardwalk, into an apparent blind spot between the two.
This slow, perfectly timed mix of stopping and starting lasted for ten minutes,
and they gradually worked their way to the open beach. Parker counted, and
Jarod made sure to keep his movements fluidly in time with hers. When they
finally stepped onto the clean white sand, Jarod let out a soft chuckle of
delight.
"Is this what you've been doing the last few days?" he asked, wriggling his toes
happily in the sand.
"Among other things... we don't have much time," Miss Parker said with a smile.
She seemed to realise she was still holding his hands to her hips, and dropped
them. Jarod stepped away hastily.
"Lead on, Macbeth."
****
Miss Parker checked her watch as they reached the east side of the island,
jogging side by side, and looked up at the slowly purpling sky. They didn't
have much time before the sun went down, so they needed to move quickly. A
moment later she spotted her marker in one of the trees and stopped, catching
Jarod by the arm and dragging him to the edge of the forest. She rummaged
around in the low ferns and foliage until she found what she wanted.
"Help me pull these out," she instructed, and instantly Jarod was by her side,
helping to lug out several heavy sacks.
They tipped the contents onto the ground, and Jarod laughed aloud. Scuba
gear. Parker passed him one wetsuit and began to pull on her own. They zipped
each other up in silence, pulling on their gear and checking each other's
equipment as quickly as possible. Jarod rubbed de-fog into their facemasks as
Parker tucked every stray strap and cord away on him, and then herself.
"There's a boat, maybe a mile out. I attached an ultrasonic locator transmitter
to the boat's anchor, and the receiver will tell us the direction to swim in, so
you need to stick really close to me. I've got lights for when it gets too
dark. I'm hoping we'll make it before one of us runs out of air, and because
I'm trying to streamline as much as possible, we haven't got a Spare Air,"
Parker said, "I'm assuming you know how to buddy breathe. Do you know all the
signals?"
Jarod nodded, and they spent a few precious moments running through them. A
final contribution to the gear they would be carrying was a reef knife with
ankle straps each and dive lights, which strapped to their wrists for
safekeeping. Jarod hefted up the last two pieces of equipment with a smile; two
top of the line underwater scooters.
"Oceanic Mako. This should double our air," he said approvingly. Miss Parker
nodded.
"But no fun for a surf entry, unfortunately. Are you ready?" she asked. Jarod
gave a quick nod, passing her one of the scooters and her flippers. As they
began heading towards the surf, he tilted his head. Parker mimicked the motion
- over the soft noise of the surf, she could detect the faint buzzing of a
speedboat and the distant sound of a helicopter.
"Friend or foe?" Jarod asked nervously, pausing to fit his facemask. Parker did
the same.
"The Centre, I hope. Could be that Jackson regained consciousness, but Daddy
promised he'd send in some men to shut this place down while we make a getaway,"
she said. They listened for a few seconds longer, and then continued down the
beach.
They walked into the warm, gentle waves until they were roughly calf deep,
and took turns supporting each other while they slipped their flippers on. They
backed slowly into the surf, bouncing slightly as each wave pushed against them.
"Ready?" Jarod called, once they were chest height. Miss Parker gripped his
hand for a moment, squeezing tightly. The dive was a dangerous one - to a small
boat in the middle of nowhere, and she could only hope that their air wouldn't
run out before they got there. But staying behind would be insane; either of
them could be hurt or killed in what was surely going to be a bloodbath on
Laredii Island. Listening closely, she could hear distant shouts on the island
- whether it was a search or rescue party, they had to get out of sight and away
from the island. There was no chance of going back now.
"As I'll ever be," Parker called back. They shared a long, intense look, before
fitting their regulators to their mouths and submerging themselves in the warm
water.
****
Close to forty minutes later, Jarod checked his air once more. He was
close to empty, less than 100 psi, and growing increasingly nervous about it,
although he kept his breathing slow and steady. Keeping his right hand on the
trigger of his scooter, he tapped Parker to gain her attention, and then tapped
his wrist. She checked the receiver on her wrist, and held her thumb and finger
about an inch apart, indicating only a small time left.
Jarod turned his attention back to his scooter, being careful to keep his
body as straight and streamlined as possible, so there was no drag. He slowed
his breathing even more, the way he had been taught - inhale slowly, pause
without closing his airway, and exhale slowly. The less energy he expended
moving or breathing, the longer his air would last.
A few moments later, Miss Parker tapped his arm to gain his attention,
pointing to something far ahead. In the dim, fading light, he could just make
out an anchor line. He gave Parker the okay signal, checking his air once more.
He was now dangerously low, and cursed the fact that they were more than fifteen
feet below the surface. Standard safety techniques meant that all divers should
have a decompression period of approximately five minutes at fifteen feet, yet
Jarod wasn't sure he had the air.
They reached the anchor line a few minutes later. They turned on their
lights in the now dark water, slowing their scooters as they got closer, and
then stopping altogether just a few feet away. They straightened slowly,
drifting over to the line, Parker catching his attention, and dropping her
scooter. Jarod did the same, showing her his air, or lack thereof. She nodded,
unhooking her octopus, the spare air regulator, and passing it to him, showing
him that she still had enough air for the both of them. Being much smaller and
lighter, it made sense that Parker wouldn't use as much air as him.
Jarod discarded his regulator, taking the octopus and placing it in his
mouth. He hit the purge button, and tried to draw a breath. Nothing happened.
Trying not to panic, Jarod repeated the process, but was unable to draw any air.
He released it, meeting Parker's eyes and shaking his head. She drew another
breath, and passed her own regulator to him, pointing up, a sign that they
should begin to ascend. Jarod nodded his agreement, taking her regulator as she
breathed out slowly, bubbles rising up and away from her mouth. Jarod took two
slow breaths, and passed the regulator back.
They began to rise steadily, stopping at fifteen feet when Miss Parker
indicated. The wait seemed agonising to Jarod, and he kept his gaze trained to
hers as they passed the regulator slowly back and forth. He recalled all the
safety tips he had ever learnt and taught about buddy breathing - communication
was paramount, and as long as neither of them panicked, they should be able to
ascend to the surface without hassle, even allowing for the five-minute
decompression.
It got steadily darker, and Jarod fought panic. When Parker passed him
the regulator again he fumbled, unable to see her hand properly in the dim
light. He felt her arm sliding around his shoulders, pulling him close as she
took the regulator again, and he wrapped one arm around her waist and the other
around the anchor line. When she finished drawing breath, Miss Parker placed
the regulator directly into his mouth, holding it there until he nodded.
After what seemed like an incredibly long wait, Miss Parker signalled they
were clear to keep going up. They rose very slowly and steadily, continuing to
share the air. When his head broke the surface, Jarod gave a sigh of relief.
Miss Parker dropped the regulator out of her mouth, and for a moment they clung
to each other, breathing hevily.
"Dump your weight belt," she instructed after a moment, her voice sounding
unnaturally loud after the quiet in the depths of the ocean, "Dump everything
but your light, we'll need that. You first, I'll hold you."
Jarod nodded, and Miss Parker steadied him as he dropped both his hands to
his waist, drawing them together until he found the release catch. The belt
fell easily away, and Jarod began to undo the rest of his equipment, shedding
his tank and BC as quickly as he could. He tossed his light into the boat, and
Miss Parker followed his example, throwing her waterproof bag and her light into
the boat, slowly shedding her equipment.
Jarod swum to the other side, hoisting himself over the edge of the boat
as Miss Parker steadied it from the far side. He tumbled into the bottom, and
lay gasping for air for a minute at the sudden pain in his ribs before sitting
up. Miss Parker was still clinging to the side, and he helped pull her into the
boat, trying not to tip it at the same time. She gave a soft groan as she made
it over the edge, falling heavily on top of Jarod, the boat rocking wildly.
"Sorry," Parker muttered, sitting up. Jarod said nothing, sitting up too.
The boat was tiny, having a small engine and a bench at one end. There
was enough room in the shallow base for both of them to stretch out if they
wanted to, but for little else. Jarod grabbed his light, shining it under the
small bench to see what Parker had stashed under there.
"Three blankets, a spare tank of petrol, some food rations, a first aid kit and
one flare," Parker said, and presented her back to him, "Can you unzip me?"
One at a time they struggled out of their wetsuits, tossing them
overboard. They sat facing each other, the moon the only light, panting softly.
Jarod flicked a glance up at the brilliant spread of stars in the sky.
"It looks different from this side of the world," he said softly, and Miss
Parker looked up too. Jarod raised a hand, pointing, "Look, there's the
Southern Cross."
"I have some coordinates for where I'm meeting a Centre boat from Fiji," Miss
Parker said, digging around in her waterproof bag and drawing out a handheld GPS
receiver.
"Don't you ever just stop and take a moment?" Jarod asked. Parker paused.
"What?"
"Don't you ever just..." he shrugged, at a loss for words, "Don't you ever just
want to stand still? Stop working and stop running and just appreciate the
beauty around you?"
"I can't afford to-" she began impatiently, but Jarod cut her off.
"You should. There's so much in the world to appreciate, and people get so
caught up in their problems and their pains, and they can't ever just *stop*, to
see that they're only a small part of a much bigger picture," Jarod said. He
took the receiver out of Parker's hands, setting it aside and taking her hands
with his own.
"Jarod..." Miss Parker said softly.
"Please?" he asked.
"We're still not out of danger yet, and until we are, I simply can't relax," she
said stiffly. When Jarod remained silent, she gave an impatient sigh, "When we
get to our destination, okay? We'll take a damn moment and look at the damn
stars."
****
They skipped over the waves in silence. To her frustration, Miss Parker
discovered that the little engine had leaked half it's petrol since she had
anchored the boat the day before. She used the spare tank, but they only got a
few hours of slow travel before the engine spluttered and died, leaving them
drifting in the sudden silence. Checking the GPS receiver, she groaned in
frustration. They were within two miles of the arranged meeting place.
"What now?" Jarod asked. He was barely visible in the silvery moonlight,
sitting calmly in the centre of the boat.
"Now," Miss Parker said in annoyance, slipping to the floor of the boat and
rummaging through the supplies stashed under the bench, "We sit and wait to be
found, by either Laredii of the Centre. We aren't meant to rendezvous until
dawn, and we're still almost two miles from the meeting place."
"Does this mean we can take our 'damned' moment, then?" Jarod asked, his voice
warm with amusement, and she threw a water bottle at him. He laughed as it hit,
scrabbling across the bottom of the boat for it.
Miss Parker dug out some rations, and they sat in companionable silence,
eating. Jarod chewed noisily on some beef jerky, and Parker elbowed him.
"What was that for?" he asked, mock indignant.
"Because you sound like a horse," she said, and elbowed him again.
Jarod shoved her back, and there was a brief scuffle, where they shoved
and pushed at each other, chuckling. Parker took him by surprise when she
launched herself bodily at him, tipping him backwards and landing on top of him.
They lay still for a moment, breathing heavily.
"Miss Parker-" Jarod began.
"Shut up," Parker said, and kissed him.
Jarod groaned softly, winding his arms around her. Miss Parker parted his
lips with her tongue, exploring the warm sweet depths hungrily. She ignored the
warning bells going off in her head, concentrating on the feel of his warm, bare
skin beneath her.
Jarod kissed her back passionately, threading his hand into her hair and
rolling them both over, so he hovered over Parker, one of his thighs resting
between hers. She grasped at his broad, muscular shoulders, and Jarod broke the
kiss briefly, tilting his head and brushing his mouth across hers for several
more hot, fleeting kisses. Miss Parker dropped her hands when he drew away
altogether, and for a moment they lay side by side in the boat in shocked
silence.
"I think... I think we should forget that happened," Jarod said quietly. Miss
Parker licked her swollen lips carefully, fighting to regain control.
"Agreed," she murmured.
Miss Parker stared up at the night sky, her breathing slowing down
gradually. She could see the brilliant spread of the Milky Way above them, and
a half moon still fairly close to the horizon. Jarod shifted next to her, his
hip and thigh resting against hers, his shorts still slightly damp.
"Was that, uh, taking a moment?" he asked, sounding weakly amused.
"Ha," Parker said tonelessly. She felt Jarod's hand groping for hers, and he
squeezed it gently, his thumb brushing across her knuckles.
"There's always been something between us, Miss Parker, and I just wanted to
say-"
"Don't!" Parker said, snatching her hand out of his, "It was a mistake, Jarod, I
just got carried away in the moment. You're nothing but a job..." she said, and
Jarod propped himself up on one elbow beside her.
"Don't start that crap again," he said incredulously, "I stopped being a job to
you seven years ago, Miss Parker."
"That's when you *became* a job!" she snarled angrily, sitting up and scooting
away from him, crossing her arms over her chest defensively. There was a short
silence.
"What happened? You saved me, I know that, but what happened to make you hate
me for so long?" Jarod asked.
Miss Parker shifted unhappily, doubts once again flooding into her mind.
If Jarod had known all along what was going on, what would be the use in playing
innocent now?
"Please..." Jarod whispered, and Miss Parker swallowed her pride.
"I was appointed as head of security seven years ago. Johnson, the man who had
been there before me, was injured in a shootout. I was told there was a company
known as Specifics attempting to kidnap Pretenders. I worked out that you were
the main target, and, as you know, Andy came after you and pushed you in the
pool..." she said thickly. Jarod nodded.
"I remember. That's why I got swimming lessons after I escaped," he said dryly,
"Go on."
"I neutralised Andy, and got you out of the pool. You weren't breathing, so I
gave you CPR." She remembered pinching his nose, covering his mouth with her own
and exhaling her breath into his lungs, "You were just coming around when one of
my sweepers, Joe, knocked you out again. He was working for Specifics. We
fought... and I stabbed him. He managed to get one shot off," Miss Parker said,
wiping the tears from her cheeks and self-consciously touching the scar on her
shoulder, "I found out later I'd pierced one of his lungs with the tip of the
blade. He bled to death, and I just... I just kept twisting the knife."
"Oh God..." Jarod whispered. He made a move towards Parker, but she flinched
away.
"The Centre owned Specifics... it was a test. All of it, to see if I was worthy
for my position, if I would be loyal to the Centre no matter what," she choked
out.
"I don't understand..." Jarod said, and she let out a soft, bitter cry.
"Daddy told me all about it. It was *your* simulation, Jarod. That damn test
came out of your head, and I killed a man for it! You probably knew what was
going on the whole time!" she growled. Jarod sat back, obviously shocked.
Miss Parker scrubbed at her eyes angrily, glad that Jarod couldn't see her
face. They sat in an awkward silence, and she could practically hear his mind
ticking over.
"I did it... must be almost twenty years ago," Jarod said softly, "A simulation
to design the best possible way for a large corporation to pick a suitable
security head. Run the candidate through a drill situation to see how they
react under pressure, almost military in it's execution. Several of the
scenarios suggested were bomb threats, break and enter... and hostage and kidnap
situations."
"Yeah, I'm on intimate terms with that last one," Miss Parker said bitterly.
"The point was that it was a *drill*. The candidate was to be aware of what was
going on at all times... and I never thought it would be used to hurt anyone."
"It wasn't. *I* was," she murmured. Jarod reached out, grabbing her wrists and
pulling her towards him despite her struggles, so they were face to face.
"You know I wouldn't have done this. You know I wouldn't have - I had no idea
what was going on at the time! I woke up in Infirmary, and Sydney told me a
mystery sweeper had saved me, I never knew about Joe," he said earnestly. Miss
Parker searched his eyes, a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach telling
her he was being honest.
"I killed a man..." she said feebly.
"You did what you needed to," Jarod said softly, "And you believed you were
saving me. Thankyou for that."
Miss Parker took a deep, heaving gulp of air, and then her face crumpled.
Jarod drew her into his arms as she began to sob, stroking her back gently. It
was the condolences and comfort she had needed for seven years - what her father
had never provided.
****
After midnight, they lay side by side in the bottom of the boat. When
Parker had stopped crying they had used two of the blankets as a makeshift
mattress, tucking the third and final blanket over both of them to keep warm,
although it wasn't really needed on the warm summer night. They lay gazing up
at the stars quietly, their hands clasped together under the blanket.
"It's like a place out of time. A boat in the middle of the ocean, with just
the moon and stars for company," Jarod said softly, and heard Parker chuff with
quiet laughter.
"If you tell anyone I cried on your shoulder, I'll castrate you," she said, and
Jarod chuckled.
"So what happens when they come for us?" he asked a short while later, sobering.
"I go back to being Miss Parker of the Centre, and you go back to being an
insolent lab rat," Parker said evenly. Jarod squeezed her hand.
"I'll escape at the first opportunity, you know that, don't you?" he asked.
"I know. And then it's back to the status quo - you run, I chase."
Jarod was silent for a long time, listening to the soft sounds of their
breathing. Miss Parker shifted, turning onto her side with her body facing him,
nestling in sleepily. Jarod smiled at the exotic picture she made - her long
hair had dried in loose waves around her face, and the tan she had acquired gave
her skin a golden gleam.
"It's so beautiful out here," he said.
"Are we appreciating the moment?" Parker asked.
"Don't you know?"
"Answering a question with a question - you've been hanging out with Sydney for
too long. And no, I don't know. You're the one who was talking about this
'moment' crap in the first place," she said, closing her eyes.
"You move through life too quickly, Miss Parker, you need to slow down once in a
while. Stop-"
"And smell the roses?" Parker interrupted.
"Yes, among other things. Watch the stars, enjoy a cup of fine coffee, listen
to a beautiful opera..." Jarod said.
"There's a notable lack of divas around the Centre," Miss Parker said dryly.
"Stop being obtuse, you know what I mean. I mean, I'm the one on the run, and
you're the one that's constantly moving," Jarod said, gesturing expansively,
"There are so many perfect moments in life, so many individual and isolated
moments of pure, undefined beauty, and most people are too busy checking their
watch to notice."
"Uh huh," Parker agreed sleepily. Jarod contemplated the stars, thinking hard.
"If you could just recognise and capture one moment of unsolicited happiness, it
would stay with you the rest of your life..." he trailed off, realising that
Miss Parker wasn't listening; she had fallen asleep.
Tenderly, Jarod brushed a lock of hair off her face, then lay back and
stared up at the glittering panorama of the Milky Way. The night had been
interesting, to say the least. First their escape from Laredii Island, and then
Jarod's empty air tank at the end of the dive, the fuel running out, the kiss
and then the fight. The kiss... Jarod touched his mouth. It was crazy, and
they both knew the risks. Agreeing to pretend it had never happened was the
best thing they could possibly do. It would be suicide for either of them to
their get emotions involved.
But, hell, the woman sure could kiss.
****
A splash and the wild rocking of the boat awoke Jarod. He sat up in
confusion, blinking in the early morning light. The boat was empty. Jarod
looked around quickly, peering out at the flat water, leaning over the edge to
look into the ocean's depths. A fluid blur was heading towards him, and Jarod
jumped as it surfaced just in front of his face.
"Morning," Miss Parker said, grabbing onto the edge with one hand and pushing
her wet hair back with the other. Jarod blinked in surprise.
"Good morning," he said warmly. It was apparent that the emotion of the night
before was gone.
"Come on in, water's fine," she said, and Jarod hesitated, judging from the
position of the sun that it wasn't long past dawn.
"Won't the Centre boat be looking for us?" he asked, and Parker shrugged.
"Yeah, but they won't find us for a while. We drifted almost a mile north
during the night, I'd say we have a couple of hours yet."
"What if the boat drifts?" Jarod asked. He was tempted; the morning was hot
already.
"Drop the anchor, the water isn't very deep. We're right next to a sandbar,"
Parker said, rolling her eyes impatiently.
Jarod bit his lip, and then pulled the small anchor from under the bench
where it had been stashed, and dropped it overboard. Parker grinned, pushing
off the edge and floating away on her back. Jarod stood up, trying not to rock
the boat too much, took a deep breath, and dived into the water.
It was cool and refreshing, and Jarod rolled onto his back, opening his
eyes and allowing himself to sink. He could hold his breath for close to three
and a half minutes before it got uncomfortable. The water was clear and blue,
the sunshine playing across it, and he could see Miss Parker's blurry figure
getting closer to him. He spread his arms out as she swam down to him, her blue
eyes opened, her hair swirling around her face. He reached out, touching the
tip of his finger to her nose, startling slightly as a school of fat silver-blue
fish swam past them, and she parted her lips and grinned at him, a broad grin of
pure pleasure.
Needing air, Jarod raised his face towards the sun and kicked strongly,
arrowing up, Miss Parker doing the same. They broke the surface and drew
breath, both treading water. They were a few feet away from the boat, and he
flicked some water at Parker. She flicked some back, took a breath and dived
again.
Jarod followed, kicking hard so they were close to the bottom and the
reef. Beautiful tropical fish of all colours swam around them, not in the least
afraid. Parker touched his arm, pointing at a giant turtle, close to three feet
long, swimming in the distance. They stared around at the beautiful coral
constructions beneath them, fish darting in and around the delicate reef.
Feeling his chest was about to burst, Jarod headed up to the surface,
gasping for air. Miss Parker came up a moment after him, panting. She pointed
to the north of them, where the water appeared to be shallower.
"Meet you at the sandbar," she said.
Jarod broke out into a strong stroke, Parker beside him, and it didn't
take long for them to reach the sand bar. They sat for a moment, the water only
a foot deep, enjoying the sun on their backs. Miss Parker pulled her hair into
her fist and twisted the water out of it. Jarod tilted his head back and
sighed.
"This is paradise," he said softly.
"Here's your moment, Jarod," Miss Parker said mildly.
They floated on their backs peacefully for a while, drifting carelessly in
the perfect blue sea, occasionally bumping legs or arms. Jarod relished his
freedom, feeling that this soak in the ocean was a way of washing off all the
pain and frustration of the months spent inside Laredii's compound, and enjoyed
the peace that had fallen between him and Parker.
He knew, of course, that soon enough the Centre would be there to take him
back, but he wasn't worried. It was a long trip from the Australian coast back
to America, and was reasonably confidant that it wouldn't be long before he
found an opportunity for escape.
He considered briefly what Parker had told him the night before. He
wasn't surprised that his simulation had been used for nefarious purposes, but
that didn't help residual feelings of guilt. It wasn't strangers that had been
hurt this time, it was his childhood friend, and the events had caused years of
bitterness and misunderstandings between them.
Jarod knew that Miss Parker believed him when he said he hadn't known what
was going on - she had probably known it in her heart for a long time, but
decades of believing her father to be above reproach was a hard habit to break.
And just because Jarod had undone one wrong against her, it didn't mean they
could go back to being best friends again. A lot had happened in the last seven
years, and it was difficult for either of them to trust again.
But it was a step in the right direction, at least.
****
It had been a few days since he had seen Miss Parker, and he assumed she was
making preparations for their escape. Nevertheless, he was surprised in the
late afternoon when there was a heavy thump outside the door. Jarod sat up in
bed as the locks all clicked open, and Parker pushed open the door. She was
wearing only a black bikini and had a tiny waterproof bag slung over her
shoulder. There was a guard lying unconscious at her feet, and she tossed Jarod
a key.
"Quickly, we don't have much time," she called, and began to drag the man into
the room.
Jarod flung the blankets off, unlocking the ankle shackle. He swung his
legs over the edge of the bed and made to stand up, but found his legs buckling.
He slumped back onto the bed with a soft groan. Miss Parker finished dragging
the man into the door and kicked the door shut, looking up at Jarod in
puzzlement.
"What's wrong?" she asked, swinging her bag off her shoulder and rifling through
it.
"I haven't been on my feet for a few days - just a bit wobbly," Jarod said. He
tried standing gingerly again, and managed to stay upright this time.
"Yeah, well, you'd better find your feet quickly, we're on a budgeted timeline
here. And put these on," Parker said, tossing him a pair of shorts. Jarod
looked at the shorts, at the loose pair of pants he was wearing, and back up at
her bikini clad form.
"Are we escaping, or going on vacation?" he asked. Miss Parker huffed
impatiently, lifting her hair of her neck and tying it in a ponytail.
"Just change into the damn shorts Jarod. I'll even turn around if it makes you
feel any better," she snapped, turning her back on him.
Jarod changed swiftly out of his pants and into the shorts, tapping Parker
on the shoulder when he was done. Together they hoisted the unconscious guard
onto the bed, and Jarod snapped the shackle closed around his leg with a grim
sense of satisfaction. Miss Parker rifled through his jacket pockets, taking
his gun and his hand held radio, while Jarod did a few stretches.
"Okay, are you ready?" Miss Parker asked, pressing the guard's gun into Jarod's
hand and taking her own out of the bag. Jarod nodded, and they crept out into
the corridor quietly.
Jarod stuck close behind Miss Parker as they stole through the compound.
They paused for a moment when a siren rent the air, but Parker urged him on when
nobody came running.
"What happened to all the guards?" Jarod whispered. Parker gave him a feral
grin over her shoulder.
"Can you spell 'poison'?" she said with a snide chuckle, and he frowned.
"You killed them?" he asked, aghast.
"Of course not. Just put them under for awhile," Parker said.
"Oh..." Jarod said softly.
They crept down the length of another corridor, and Jarod startled as a bird
began shrieking outside the window, quickly joined by more. It was a sound he
hadn't been able to grow used to over the last few nights, uncomfortable with
the screaming at both dawn and dusk.
They emerged into the main lobby, and were almost to the door when somebody
cleared his throat behind them. Jarod froze, but Miss Parker wasted no time,
whirling around and holding her gun in front of her. Jarod turned slowly,
raising his gun, not in the least surprised to see Jackson standing there, his
arms crossed over his chest and smiling with derision.
"Taking the captive out for a swim, Ms Mark?" he asked, raking his eyes over
Parker's slim and scantily clad figure. Jarod did the same quickly, and
realised she'd gotten a bit of a tan in the last few days, suggesting she'd
spent a fair amount of time in the sun.
"I thought I might take Jarod home, Dr Jackson," she said evenly, edging closer.
Jackson gave her a dangerous and slightly confused grin.
"Home?"
"Back to the Centre, of course."
Jackson looked disbelievingly from Jarod to Miss Parker. "I wouldn't have
picked you for one of their flunkies, Ms Mark!" he blustered. Parker was now
close enough to pat him down, and she pulled a small pistol from a holster at
his side.
"I'm not a flunky," Parker grated, "And my name... is Parker. Miss Parker to
you."
Jackson paled with recognition of the name, but had no time to say
anything as she gave him a heavy thump on the back of the neck. The Australian
doctor crumpled to the floor, and Miss Parker gave Jarod a grim look of
satisfaction.
"Come on," she muttered.
Just outside the door they stopped, and Jarod inhaled a deep lungful of
fresh air. Parker tucked both their guns into the waterproof bag, looking over
her shoulder before leaning in to speak.
"Halfway down the boardwalk is the first of three cameras. Now, I've knocked
out all the guards in the compound, so nobody would have been watching us move
through the corridors. However, the feed from the boardwalk cameras is watched
on a separate part of the island for security reasons. I've been timing them
the last few days, and if we keep very close together, and you move exactly as I
tell you, then we can stay out of view, understand?" she said, and Jarod nodded.
Together they dashed up the boardwalk, stopping when Parker raised her
hand, the entrance to the beach in sight. She stepped to one side of the
boardwalk, and Jarod searched the surrounding trees until he found what she was
watching so intently - a camera swivelling from side to side slowly.
"Close... closer..." Miss Parker instructed as Jarod positioned himself directly
behind her, so soon his chest was brushing her back. She picked up his hands
with her own and held them to her hips, "Move with me, okay?"
Miss Parker waited until the camera began to move away from them and
started to count under her breath. Her hands held his in place on her hips, and
one finger tapped over the top of his rhythmically, in time to her counting.
"Right foot first, ready?" she murmured.
What came next was a strange, complicated dance. They took six steps
forward, perfectly in time, and stopped, standing almost directly under the
camera and waiting until it began to swing back towards them. When it was
pointing back to where they had started again, they moved again. Within the
range of the second camera, Miss Parker sidestepped them into the centre of the
boardwalk, into an apparent blind spot between the two.
This slow, perfectly timed mix of stopping and starting lasted for ten minutes,
and they gradually worked their way to the open beach. Parker counted, and
Jarod made sure to keep his movements fluidly in time with hers. When they
finally stepped onto the clean white sand, Jarod let out a soft chuckle of
delight.
"Is this what you've been doing the last few days?" he asked, wriggling his toes
happily in the sand.
"Among other things... we don't have much time," Miss Parker said with a smile.
She seemed to realise she was still holding his hands to her hips, and dropped
them. Jarod stepped away hastily.
"Lead on, Macbeth."
****
Miss Parker checked her watch as they reached the east side of the island,
jogging side by side, and looked up at the slowly purpling sky. They didn't
have much time before the sun went down, so they needed to move quickly. A
moment later she spotted her marker in one of the trees and stopped, catching
Jarod by the arm and dragging him to the edge of the forest. She rummaged
around in the low ferns and foliage until she found what she wanted.
"Help me pull these out," she instructed, and instantly Jarod was by her side,
helping to lug out several heavy sacks.
They tipped the contents onto the ground, and Jarod laughed aloud. Scuba
gear. Parker passed him one wetsuit and began to pull on her own. They zipped
each other up in silence, pulling on their gear and checking each other's
equipment as quickly as possible. Jarod rubbed de-fog into their facemasks as
Parker tucked every stray strap and cord away on him, and then herself.
"There's a boat, maybe a mile out. I attached an ultrasonic locator transmitter
to the boat's anchor, and the receiver will tell us the direction to swim in, so
you need to stick really close to me. I've got lights for when it gets too
dark. I'm hoping we'll make it before one of us runs out of air, and because
I'm trying to streamline as much as possible, we haven't got a Spare Air,"
Parker said, "I'm assuming you know how to buddy breathe. Do you know all the
signals?"
Jarod nodded, and they spent a few precious moments running through them. A
final contribution to the gear they would be carrying was a reef knife with
ankle straps each and dive lights, which strapped to their wrists for
safekeeping. Jarod hefted up the last two pieces of equipment with a smile; two
top of the line underwater scooters.
"Oceanic Mako. This should double our air," he said approvingly. Miss Parker
nodded.
"But no fun for a surf entry, unfortunately. Are you ready?" she asked. Jarod
gave a quick nod, passing her one of the scooters and her flippers. As they
began heading towards the surf, he tilted his head. Parker mimicked the motion
- over the soft noise of the surf, she could detect the faint buzzing of a
speedboat and the distant sound of a helicopter.
"Friend or foe?" Jarod asked nervously, pausing to fit his facemask. Parker did
the same.
"The Centre, I hope. Could be that Jackson regained consciousness, but Daddy
promised he'd send in some men to shut this place down while we make a getaway,"
she said. They listened for a few seconds longer, and then continued down the
beach.
They walked into the warm, gentle waves until they were roughly calf deep,
and took turns supporting each other while they slipped their flippers on. They
backed slowly into the surf, bouncing slightly as each wave pushed against them.
"Ready?" Jarod called, once they were chest height. Miss Parker gripped his
hand for a moment, squeezing tightly. The dive was a dangerous one - to a small
boat in the middle of nowhere, and she could only hope that their air wouldn't
run out before they got there. But staying behind would be insane; either of
them could be hurt or killed in what was surely going to be a bloodbath on
Laredii Island. Listening closely, she could hear distant shouts on the island
- whether it was a search or rescue party, they had to get out of sight and away
from the island. There was no chance of going back now.
"As I'll ever be," Parker called back. They shared a long, intense look, before
fitting their regulators to their mouths and submerging themselves in the warm
water.
****
Close to forty minutes later, Jarod checked his air once more. He was
close to empty, less than 100 psi, and growing increasingly nervous about it,
although he kept his breathing slow and steady. Keeping his right hand on the
trigger of his scooter, he tapped Parker to gain her attention, and then tapped
his wrist. She checked the receiver on her wrist, and held her thumb and finger
about an inch apart, indicating only a small time left.
Jarod turned his attention back to his scooter, being careful to keep his
body as straight and streamlined as possible, so there was no drag. He slowed
his breathing even more, the way he had been taught - inhale slowly, pause
without closing his airway, and exhale slowly. The less energy he expended
moving or breathing, the longer his air would last.
A few moments later, Miss Parker tapped his arm to gain his attention,
pointing to something far ahead. In the dim, fading light, he could just make
out an anchor line. He gave Parker the okay signal, checking his air once more.
He was now dangerously low, and cursed the fact that they were more than fifteen
feet below the surface. Standard safety techniques meant that all divers should
have a decompression period of approximately five minutes at fifteen feet, yet
Jarod wasn't sure he had the air.
They reached the anchor line a few minutes later. They turned on their
lights in the now dark water, slowing their scooters as they got closer, and
then stopping altogether just a few feet away. They straightened slowly,
drifting over to the line, Parker catching his attention, and dropping her
scooter. Jarod did the same, showing her his air, or lack thereof. She nodded,
unhooking her octopus, the spare air regulator, and passing it to him, showing
him that she still had enough air for the both of them. Being much smaller and
lighter, it made sense that Parker wouldn't use as much air as him.
Jarod discarded his regulator, taking the octopus and placing it in his
mouth. He hit the purge button, and tried to draw a breath. Nothing happened.
Trying not to panic, Jarod repeated the process, but was unable to draw any air.
He released it, meeting Parker's eyes and shaking his head. She drew another
breath, and passed her own regulator to him, pointing up, a sign that they
should begin to ascend. Jarod nodded his agreement, taking her regulator as she
breathed out slowly, bubbles rising up and away from her mouth. Jarod took two
slow breaths, and passed the regulator back.
They began to rise steadily, stopping at fifteen feet when Miss Parker
indicated. The wait seemed agonising to Jarod, and he kept his gaze trained to
hers as they passed the regulator slowly back and forth. He recalled all the
safety tips he had ever learnt and taught about buddy breathing - communication
was paramount, and as long as neither of them panicked, they should be able to
ascend to the surface without hassle, even allowing for the five-minute
decompression.
It got steadily darker, and Jarod fought panic. When Parker passed him
the regulator again he fumbled, unable to see her hand properly in the dim
light. He felt her arm sliding around his shoulders, pulling him close as she
took the regulator again, and he wrapped one arm around her waist and the other
around the anchor line. When she finished drawing breath, Miss Parker placed
the regulator directly into his mouth, holding it there until he nodded.
After what seemed like an incredibly long wait, Miss Parker signalled they
were clear to keep going up. They rose very slowly and steadily, continuing to
share the air. When his head broke the surface, Jarod gave a sigh of relief.
Miss Parker dropped the regulator out of her mouth, and for a moment they clung
to each other, breathing hevily.
"Dump your weight belt," she instructed after a moment, her voice sounding
unnaturally loud after the quiet in the depths of the ocean, "Dump everything
but your light, we'll need that. You first, I'll hold you."
Jarod nodded, and Miss Parker steadied him as he dropped both his hands to
his waist, drawing them together until he found the release catch. The belt
fell easily away, and Jarod began to undo the rest of his equipment, shedding
his tank and BC as quickly as he could. He tossed his light into the boat, and
Miss Parker followed his example, throwing her waterproof bag and her light into
the boat, slowly shedding her equipment.
Jarod swum to the other side, hoisting himself over the edge of the boat
as Miss Parker steadied it from the far side. He tumbled into the bottom, and
lay gasping for air for a minute at the sudden pain in his ribs before sitting
up. Miss Parker was still clinging to the side, and he helped pull her into the
boat, trying not to tip it at the same time. She gave a soft groan as she made
it over the edge, falling heavily on top of Jarod, the boat rocking wildly.
"Sorry," Parker muttered, sitting up. Jarod said nothing, sitting up too.
The boat was tiny, having a small engine and a bench at one end. There
was enough room in the shallow base for both of them to stretch out if they
wanted to, but for little else. Jarod grabbed his light, shining it under the
small bench to see what Parker had stashed under there.
"Three blankets, a spare tank of petrol, some food rations, a first aid kit and
one flare," Parker said, and presented her back to him, "Can you unzip me?"
One at a time they struggled out of their wetsuits, tossing them
overboard. They sat facing each other, the moon the only light, panting softly.
Jarod flicked a glance up at the brilliant spread of stars in the sky.
"It looks different from this side of the world," he said softly, and Miss
Parker looked up too. Jarod raised a hand, pointing, "Look, there's the
Southern Cross."
"I have some coordinates for where I'm meeting a Centre boat from Fiji," Miss
Parker said, digging around in her waterproof bag and drawing out a handheld GPS
receiver.
"Don't you ever just stop and take a moment?" Jarod asked. Parker paused.
"What?"
"Don't you ever just..." he shrugged, at a loss for words, "Don't you ever just
want to stand still? Stop working and stop running and just appreciate the
beauty around you?"
"I can't afford to-" she began impatiently, but Jarod cut her off.
"You should. There's so much in the world to appreciate, and people get so
caught up in their problems and their pains, and they can't ever just *stop*, to
see that they're only a small part of a much bigger picture," Jarod said. He
took the receiver out of Parker's hands, setting it aside and taking her hands
with his own.
"Jarod..." Miss Parker said softly.
"Please?" he asked.
"We're still not out of danger yet, and until we are, I simply can't relax," she
said stiffly. When Jarod remained silent, she gave an impatient sigh, "When we
get to our destination, okay? We'll take a damn moment and look at the damn
stars."
****
They skipped over the waves in silence. To her frustration, Miss Parker
discovered that the little engine had leaked half it's petrol since she had
anchored the boat the day before. She used the spare tank, but they only got a
few hours of slow travel before the engine spluttered and died, leaving them
drifting in the sudden silence. Checking the GPS receiver, she groaned in
frustration. They were within two miles of the arranged meeting place.
"What now?" Jarod asked. He was barely visible in the silvery moonlight,
sitting calmly in the centre of the boat.
"Now," Miss Parker said in annoyance, slipping to the floor of the boat and
rummaging through the supplies stashed under the bench, "We sit and wait to be
found, by either Laredii of the Centre. We aren't meant to rendezvous until
dawn, and we're still almost two miles from the meeting place."
"Does this mean we can take our 'damned' moment, then?" Jarod asked, his voice
warm with amusement, and she threw a water bottle at him. He laughed as it hit,
scrabbling across the bottom of the boat for it.
Miss Parker dug out some rations, and they sat in companionable silence,
eating. Jarod chewed noisily on some beef jerky, and Parker elbowed him.
"What was that for?" he asked, mock indignant.
"Because you sound like a horse," she said, and elbowed him again.
Jarod shoved her back, and there was a brief scuffle, where they shoved
and pushed at each other, chuckling. Parker took him by surprise when she
launched herself bodily at him, tipping him backwards and landing on top of him.
They lay still for a moment, breathing heavily.
"Miss Parker-" Jarod began.
"Shut up," Parker said, and kissed him.
Jarod groaned softly, winding his arms around her. Miss Parker parted his
lips with her tongue, exploring the warm sweet depths hungrily. She ignored the
warning bells going off in her head, concentrating on the feel of his warm, bare
skin beneath her.
Jarod kissed her back passionately, threading his hand into her hair and
rolling them both over, so he hovered over Parker, one of his thighs resting
between hers. She grasped at his broad, muscular shoulders, and Jarod broke the
kiss briefly, tilting his head and brushing his mouth across hers for several
more hot, fleeting kisses. Miss Parker dropped her hands when he drew away
altogether, and for a moment they lay side by side in the boat in shocked
silence.
"I think... I think we should forget that happened," Jarod said quietly. Miss
Parker licked her swollen lips carefully, fighting to regain control.
"Agreed," she murmured.
Miss Parker stared up at the night sky, her breathing slowing down
gradually. She could see the brilliant spread of the Milky Way above them, and
a half moon still fairly close to the horizon. Jarod shifted next to her, his
hip and thigh resting against hers, his shorts still slightly damp.
"Was that, uh, taking a moment?" he asked, sounding weakly amused.
"Ha," Parker said tonelessly. She felt Jarod's hand groping for hers, and he
squeezed it gently, his thumb brushing across her knuckles.
"There's always been something between us, Miss Parker, and I just wanted to
say-"
"Don't!" Parker said, snatching her hand out of his, "It was a mistake, Jarod, I
just got carried away in the moment. You're nothing but a job..." she said, and
Jarod propped himself up on one elbow beside her.
"Don't start that crap again," he said incredulously, "I stopped being a job to
you seven years ago, Miss Parker."
"That's when you *became* a job!" she snarled angrily, sitting up and scooting
away from him, crossing her arms over her chest defensively. There was a short
silence.
"What happened? You saved me, I know that, but what happened to make you hate
me for so long?" Jarod asked.
Miss Parker shifted unhappily, doubts once again flooding into her mind.
If Jarod had known all along what was going on, what would be the use in playing
innocent now?
"Please..." Jarod whispered, and Miss Parker swallowed her pride.
"I was appointed as head of security seven years ago. Johnson, the man who had
been there before me, was injured in a shootout. I was told there was a company
known as Specifics attempting to kidnap Pretenders. I worked out that you were
the main target, and, as you know, Andy came after you and pushed you in the
pool..." she said thickly. Jarod nodded.
"I remember. That's why I got swimming lessons after I escaped," he said dryly,
"Go on."
"I neutralised Andy, and got you out of the pool. You weren't breathing, so I
gave you CPR." She remembered pinching his nose, covering his mouth with her own
and exhaling her breath into his lungs, "You were just coming around when one of
my sweepers, Joe, knocked you out again. He was working for Specifics. We
fought... and I stabbed him. He managed to get one shot off," Miss Parker said,
wiping the tears from her cheeks and self-consciously touching the scar on her
shoulder, "I found out later I'd pierced one of his lungs with the tip of the
blade. He bled to death, and I just... I just kept twisting the knife."
"Oh God..." Jarod whispered. He made a move towards Parker, but she flinched
away.
"The Centre owned Specifics... it was a test. All of it, to see if I was worthy
for my position, if I would be loyal to the Centre no matter what," she choked
out.
"I don't understand..." Jarod said, and she let out a soft, bitter cry.
"Daddy told me all about it. It was *your* simulation, Jarod. That damn test
came out of your head, and I killed a man for it! You probably knew what was
going on the whole time!" she growled. Jarod sat back, obviously shocked.
Miss Parker scrubbed at her eyes angrily, glad that Jarod couldn't see her
face. They sat in an awkward silence, and she could practically hear his mind
ticking over.
"I did it... must be almost twenty years ago," Jarod said softly, "A simulation
to design the best possible way for a large corporation to pick a suitable
security head. Run the candidate through a drill situation to see how they
react under pressure, almost military in it's execution. Several of the
scenarios suggested were bomb threats, break and enter... and hostage and kidnap
situations."
"Yeah, I'm on intimate terms with that last one," Miss Parker said bitterly.
"The point was that it was a *drill*. The candidate was to be aware of what was
going on at all times... and I never thought it would be used to hurt anyone."
"It wasn't. *I* was," she murmured. Jarod reached out, grabbing her wrists and
pulling her towards him despite her struggles, so they were face to face.
"You know I wouldn't have done this. You know I wouldn't have - I had no idea
what was going on at the time! I woke up in Infirmary, and Sydney told me a
mystery sweeper had saved me, I never knew about Joe," he said earnestly. Miss
Parker searched his eyes, a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach telling
her he was being honest.
"I killed a man..." she said feebly.
"You did what you needed to," Jarod said softly, "And you believed you were
saving me. Thankyou for that."
Miss Parker took a deep, heaving gulp of air, and then her face crumpled.
Jarod drew her into his arms as she began to sob, stroking her back gently. It
was the condolences and comfort she had needed for seven years - what her father
had never provided.
****
After midnight, they lay side by side in the bottom of the boat. When
Parker had stopped crying they had used two of the blankets as a makeshift
mattress, tucking the third and final blanket over both of them to keep warm,
although it wasn't really needed on the warm summer night. They lay gazing up
at the stars quietly, their hands clasped together under the blanket.
"It's like a place out of time. A boat in the middle of the ocean, with just
the moon and stars for company," Jarod said softly, and heard Parker chuff with
quiet laughter.
"If you tell anyone I cried on your shoulder, I'll castrate you," she said, and
Jarod chuckled.
"So what happens when they come for us?" he asked a short while later, sobering.
"I go back to being Miss Parker of the Centre, and you go back to being an
insolent lab rat," Parker said evenly. Jarod squeezed her hand.
"I'll escape at the first opportunity, you know that, don't you?" he asked.
"I know. And then it's back to the status quo - you run, I chase."
Jarod was silent for a long time, listening to the soft sounds of their
breathing. Miss Parker shifted, turning onto her side with her body facing him,
nestling in sleepily. Jarod smiled at the exotic picture she made - her long
hair had dried in loose waves around her face, and the tan she had acquired gave
her skin a golden gleam.
"It's so beautiful out here," he said.
"Are we appreciating the moment?" Parker asked.
"Don't you know?"
"Answering a question with a question - you've been hanging out with Sydney for
too long. And no, I don't know. You're the one who was talking about this
'moment' crap in the first place," she said, closing her eyes.
"You move through life too quickly, Miss Parker, you need to slow down once in a
while. Stop-"
"And smell the roses?" Parker interrupted.
"Yes, among other things. Watch the stars, enjoy a cup of fine coffee, listen
to a beautiful opera..." Jarod said.
"There's a notable lack of divas around the Centre," Miss Parker said dryly.
"Stop being obtuse, you know what I mean. I mean, I'm the one on the run, and
you're the one that's constantly moving," Jarod said, gesturing expansively,
"There are so many perfect moments in life, so many individual and isolated
moments of pure, undefined beauty, and most people are too busy checking their
watch to notice."
"Uh huh," Parker agreed sleepily. Jarod contemplated the stars, thinking hard.
"If you could just recognise and capture one moment of unsolicited happiness, it
would stay with you the rest of your life..." he trailed off, realising that
Miss Parker wasn't listening; she had fallen asleep.
Tenderly, Jarod brushed a lock of hair off her face, then lay back and
stared up at the glittering panorama of the Milky Way. The night had been
interesting, to say the least. First their escape from Laredii Island, and then
Jarod's empty air tank at the end of the dive, the fuel running out, the kiss
and then the fight. The kiss... Jarod touched his mouth. It was crazy, and
they both knew the risks. Agreeing to pretend it had never happened was the
best thing they could possibly do. It would be suicide for either of them to
their get emotions involved.
But, hell, the woman sure could kiss.
****
A splash and the wild rocking of the boat awoke Jarod. He sat up in
confusion, blinking in the early morning light. The boat was empty. Jarod
looked around quickly, peering out at the flat water, leaning over the edge to
look into the ocean's depths. A fluid blur was heading towards him, and Jarod
jumped as it surfaced just in front of his face.
"Morning," Miss Parker said, grabbing onto the edge with one hand and pushing
her wet hair back with the other. Jarod blinked in surprise.
"Good morning," he said warmly. It was apparent that the emotion of the night
before was gone.
"Come on in, water's fine," she said, and Jarod hesitated, judging from the
position of the sun that it wasn't long past dawn.
"Won't the Centre boat be looking for us?" he asked, and Parker shrugged.
"Yeah, but they won't find us for a while. We drifted almost a mile north
during the night, I'd say we have a couple of hours yet."
"What if the boat drifts?" Jarod asked. He was tempted; the morning was hot
already.
"Drop the anchor, the water isn't very deep. We're right next to a sandbar,"
Parker said, rolling her eyes impatiently.
Jarod bit his lip, and then pulled the small anchor from under the bench
where it had been stashed, and dropped it overboard. Parker grinned, pushing
off the edge and floating away on her back. Jarod stood up, trying not to rock
the boat too much, took a deep breath, and dived into the water.
It was cool and refreshing, and Jarod rolled onto his back, opening his
eyes and allowing himself to sink. He could hold his breath for close to three
and a half minutes before it got uncomfortable. The water was clear and blue,
the sunshine playing across it, and he could see Miss Parker's blurry figure
getting closer to him. He spread his arms out as she swam down to him, her blue
eyes opened, her hair swirling around her face. He reached out, touching the
tip of his finger to her nose, startling slightly as a school of fat silver-blue
fish swam past them, and she parted her lips and grinned at him, a broad grin of
pure pleasure.
Needing air, Jarod raised his face towards the sun and kicked strongly,
arrowing up, Miss Parker doing the same. They broke the surface and drew
breath, both treading water. They were a few feet away from the boat, and he
flicked some water at Parker. She flicked some back, took a breath and dived
again.
Jarod followed, kicking hard so they were close to the bottom and the
reef. Beautiful tropical fish of all colours swam around them, not in the least
afraid. Parker touched his arm, pointing at a giant turtle, close to three feet
long, swimming in the distance. They stared around at the beautiful coral
constructions beneath them, fish darting in and around the delicate reef.
Feeling his chest was about to burst, Jarod headed up to the surface,
gasping for air. Miss Parker came up a moment after him, panting. She pointed
to the north of them, where the water appeared to be shallower.
"Meet you at the sandbar," she said.
Jarod broke out into a strong stroke, Parker beside him, and it didn't
take long for them to reach the sand bar. They sat for a moment, the water only
a foot deep, enjoying the sun on their backs. Miss Parker pulled her hair into
her fist and twisted the water out of it. Jarod tilted his head back and
sighed.
"This is paradise," he said softly.
"Here's your moment, Jarod," Miss Parker said mildly.
They floated on their backs peacefully for a while, drifting carelessly in
the perfect blue sea, occasionally bumping legs or arms. Jarod relished his
freedom, feeling that this soak in the ocean was a way of washing off all the
pain and frustration of the months spent inside Laredii's compound, and enjoyed
the peace that had fallen between him and Parker.
He knew, of course, that soon enough the Centre would be there to take him
back, but he wasn't worried. It was a long trip from the Australian coast back
to America, and was reasonably confidant that it wouldn't be long before he
found an opportunity for escape.
He considered briefly what Parker had told him the night before. He
wasn't surprised that his simulation had been used for nefarious purposes, but
that didn't help residual feelings of guilt. It wasn't strangers that had been
hurt this time, it was his childhood friend, and the events had caused years of
bitterness and misunderstandings between them.
Jarod knew that Miss Parker believed him when he said he hadn't known what
was going on - she had probably known it in her heart for a long time, but
decades of believing her father to be above reproach was a hard habit to break.
And just because Jarod had undone one wrong against her, it didn't mean they
could go back to being best friends again. A lot had happened in the last seven
years, and it was difficult for either of them to trust again.
But it was a step in the right direction, at least.
****