Chapter Fifteen – It Clicked

Miss Parker stayed in during lunch the next day. She had spent the previous night and this morning going over the files Broots had given her but no sudden insight had come to her.

Her concentration was often interrupted by the conversations others carried as they walked by her door. As of now, however, it was very quiet – nearly everyone had gone out to lunch.

Suddenly, it clicked.

"He hasn't eaten in two days."

It was early the next morning as Lyle stared at the man in the cage who, for all the world, seemed like he was in a catatonic state. He gazed ahead, apparently unaware of what was going on. The thumbless man was apathetic. "Shove the food down his throat."

The Sweeper stationed outside Jarod's cage continued to defend himself. "He won't swallow anything."

Skeptical, Lyle instructed, "Let me see you try again."

The guard shrugged his shoulders and sighed. With Lyle, he entered the cage and together, they approached Jarod. He continued to stare through them.

"Jarod!" the Sweeper called loudly. "It's breakfast."

There was no response, and Lyle grew frustrated. "You're not trying hard enough," he said. "You need to threaten him!" He offered the meal, holding it close to his face, as if trying to get him to focus n it. "Jarod, if you don't eat this, you're not getting any for a week," he warned.

A spark lit briefly in Jarod's eye. He focused on Lyle, and seemed to reach up for the tray slowly, making no sudden movements.

"See?" Lyle said, his back turned for a second to address the Sweeper. "It wasn't that hard."

Jarod pounced on Lyle, knocking the tray out of his hand and causing him to yell. An apple rolled and a sandwich fell apart. Hours of visualizing allowed the Pretender to reach instantly for the throat. The Sweeper pressed a button twice on the walkie-talkie hanging from his belt and then moved to help his superior. Jarod, meanwhile, seemed to be trying to squeeze a confession out of Lyle as he yelled, "You killed my mom! You killed my mom!"

Other Sweepers arrived soon to help the lone Sweeper already in the cage. They struggled to pull Jarod off Lyle and he continued to fight them as they gave him a mild sedative. As Lyle crawled out of the cage, the others watched the drugged man continue to reach for him while two of their members held him. Lyle tenderly rubbed his throat as he watched the captive fall asleep. He stood up and turned to the original Sweeper. In disbelief, he asked, "He hasn't eaten in how many days?"

When Lyle's throat felt less tender, he decided to approach Sydney. The doctor, however, still remembered the insult the thumbless man had thrown carelessly at him, and did not welcome him. Instead, he sat silently while the other entered and explained his reason coming. "Sydney," he began. "I need some help managing Jarod."

Although he was concerned, the psychologist remained quiet. Likewise, the insolence irked the other, but he did not show it. "Your little experiment is neither eating nor drinking, and I'm sure you don't want the Grim Reaper to visit before the appointed time."

When, again, there was no response, Lyle resorted to asking. "Can you talk some sense into him?"

Sydney stayed silent so long that, for a fleeting moment, Lyle thought, Catatonic. He finally asked, "What happened to 'being in my dotage' and my pernicious influence?"

The young man tried to shrug it off. "You know I didn't mean that. The Centre will always need you."

The elder sighed. Dealing with the son was like dealing with his father, if indeed Mr. Parker had fathered him. At last, he agreed, for Jarod's sake. "Alright. I'll go down to talk to him."

"Thanks," Lyle said, smiling vaguely. "I owe you one," he added, promising a favor both knew he had no intention to fulfill.

When the treacherous man was gone, Sydney smiled as well, happy in the thought that he'd be able to visit his protégé.

A little later, the doctor arrived at SL-14. He found the door that opened to the room that held Jarod's cage and entered.

A tray of food to the man's left lay untouched. Instead of eating, he seemed to be thinking very deeply. His clothes were disheveled, as if he had just been in a struggle, and the old man assumed this the reason Lyle had sent him.

Sydney stepped up to the cage and began speaking to him: "Jarod, I understand it's your choice if you want to eat or not, but people are still out there and they need you. Within The Centre lies your sanctuary, but you need to be ready when the time comes for them to transfer you ... to Africa, to anywhere."

He waited for a response, but Jarod neither acted nor spoke. After a while, the doctor left, hoping his message had gotten across.

The genius pondered the second half of his trainer's monologue. In particular, he dwelt on the word 'sanctuary,' reviewing its meaning and possible synonyms. Finally, he smiled and began to eat. 'Sanctuary', he had realized, was another word for 'refuge', but Lyle already discovered that code word, so Sydney hadn't been able to use it. If, however, he had decoded this particular message correctly, his escape was at hand.