Right, now we're up to Chapter Five. Rejoice

Authors note: I think I've discovered a direction, meaning the end is in sight. It could take a while to get here but lose not your faith! Oh, and by the way, it's true that gum tree's shed branches like rich people spend money. It's not just me being dramatic.

Jarod swung out of the bathroom of the rented flat, grabbed the DSA case from where it rested on a coffee table and made a scrambling beeline for the door to the fire escape. Snowy was right behind him, the laptop clutched tightly in his hand.

They dashed down the stairs on the outside of the brick building just as Parker burst into the flat behind them. Seeing the still swinging door, Parker strode over to point her gun down the flights of stairs. It was possible to see two figures going at full tilt down the steps, although a clear shot was impossible.

Parker didn't pause but launched herself down the first flight after them.. Even with the heels she made it down six stories in record time. Unfortunately, the ladder from the ground to the first floor had been removed and Snowy and Jarod were nowhere in sight. It was a long climb back up.

Just around the corner the two objects of the chase where standing and catching their breaths. 'I think your estimates of arrival were closer before I started training you' panted Jarod.

'I'm sorry' started Snowy miserably 'they must have avoided the traffic jams somehow.'

'It doesn't matter. At least you put that buzzer in the hallway otherwise we'd be jail bait by now.'

Snowy gave a nervous grin. Jarod realised that the boy wasn't panting nearly as much as he had a month ago when they had last been forced to sprint away from the pursuit team. Other things had changed since then as well.

The tests had showed Snowy to be a lesser pretender than Jarod, but a pretender, and a genius, none the less. The wipe Snowy had performed on the pursuit team's data base had worked to a point. The leads they followed now were usually not of the electronic kind although Jarod suspected that Broots now had a non-networked computer to work off. One thing he had made sure of though, was that the Centre had no idea of Snowy's pretender capabilities.

And even though Jarod and Snowy had invented two new languages (it filled in the long hours spent driving) in which to talk secretly to each other, they hardly even needed to talk anymore. Communication tends to be unnecessary when you know exactly what the other person is thinking.

A minute later Jarod pushed off the wall he was leaning against and strolled nonchalantly towards where he had parked their car. Snowy got into the passenger seat and while Jarod started the car, he started the laptop. Usually Jarod bought a new laptop every two months or so, to keep up to date with new technology but also in case the Centre managed to get a tracer bug into the disks. With Snowy in charge of all things computer, this became unnecessary.

Since the time when Snowy had first taken apart the laptop, the computer had changed almost daily. More RAM, faster processors and newer software were just some of the things that Snowy added, inventing a lot of the new additions himself. He had a gift for technology that went beyond pretender abilities. Even though he had tried to teach Jarod some of the things he could do, either Jarod had been unable to understand, or Snowy had been unable to explain. He mostly just worked off instinct and that couldn't be taught, no matter how good the student is.

There had been three pretends since Los Angeles, all of which Snowy had joined in on, sometimes as a son and sometimes as a younger brother. With practice he got better and better, and Jarod was immensely proud of him. Soon Jarod found that he couldn't imagine life without the enthusiastic young boy.

As usual, Jarod drove in a random direction. It didn't matter where he went, as long as he helped people along the way. With Snowy at his side he did try to travel further though, as before he met Jarod, the boy had never been out of his home town. He wanted to show Snowy the world.

Soon they found themselves on the interstate highway. They drove for an hour or so in silence, Snowy using the time to upgrade his home made operating system. It was, as usual, Jarod's stomach that stopped them.

'Jarrbeeleesh, jeerbeelesh' explained Jarod. Snowy shrugged, #You're always hungry. I can't believe you haven't swelled up like a balloon since you got out#

'I do a lot of running' relied Jarod dryly in English as he took an exit off the highway into a little town that probably survived solely on the spending's of tourists on their way to somewhere else.

Driving down the small main street, they spotted a likely bakery and Jarod pulled over. They each bought what they wanted, courtesy of money sponged off a Centre bank account and were walking back to the car when they heard a mewling sound.

'Someone help!' came the cry of a young voice. Simultaneously Jarod and Snowy broke into a run towards the sound. It was coming from a very young little girl standing at the base of a massive eucalyptus tree. It was the sort of tree that entire ecologies could survive in, that five people in a circle could not touch fingers around, the sort of tree that little kittens can climb up like a rat up a drain pipe, then miraculously can't get down again.

The girl looked to be about five years old and was staring up at a tiny ginger kitten that was staring back down, a long, long way up. The branch it was clinging desperately to was beginning to bend, slowly but surely making progress towards the point when it would strip off the tree and go crashing to the ground. It wasn't the weight of the tiny kitten, the branch was thick as a mans leg, but it had died and now the tree was shedding the weight, at just the wrong moment.

Snowy didn't hesitate. He dropped the pie bought from the bakery and dashed towards the tree. 'Snowy' snapped Jarod, bringing him up short.

'I'll climb up and get it. I'm a lot lighter than you'

'But you've never climbed a tree in your life' warned Jarod, very worried for Snowy's safety although if he had been alone, he would have done the same thing. Snowy shrugged and reached for the first branch.

It was an uncomplicated tree to climb with big branches spaced at easy intervals. Still, it was at least four stories tall and the kitten was near the very top. Jarod and the young girl were equally nervous, although for different reasons.

He was so focused on the small form moving up above he didn't hear a car pulling up on the street next to the park. The footsteps didn't register either. The click of a gun being cocked managed to break through though. Jarod jumped and spun to face a very smug looking Parker.

'How . . .'

'Deleting all the obvious clues was a mistake wonder boy. It helped me to notice smaller things, like a PEZ dispenser left on a dashboard for instance.'

Jarod's mind thought back to where they had last seen Parker and with a sinking horror comprehended what he'd done.

'So has Snowy had a sex change?' asked Parker caustically. 'What?' asked Jarod confused. Parker nodded towards the little girl and Jarod realised that Parker hadn't seen the boy now manoeuvring laterally towards the kitten above them. Jarod's muscles betrayed him. Despite every brain cell screaming against it, he couldn't help a quick glance upwards.

Parker followed his look and then looked back at the pretender, grinning at the look on his face. His expression suggested he was beginning to hyperventilate from the weight of one mistake made after another. 'Rescuing kittens? Guess the little brat is starting small. We'll wait for him to get down shall we? I'm sure he'll prove useful as leverage to get you to behave.'

For once in his life, Jarod couldn't think of anything to say. He just turned back to face the tree and looked up to watch Snowy carefully reaching for the kitten. It was too terrified to do anything but cling desperately to the sagging branch. Snowy edged further forward.

In fear for the boy's safety, Jarod almost forgot about the gun aimed at him. He let out a sigh of relief when Snowy finally managed to coax the kitten into his grasp. For the first time he glanced down. The look on his face went all the way through grave and out the other side upon seeing the gun toting Parker behind Jarod. 'Joorbeleesh' said Jarod in a carrying voice so Snowy could hear him.

Very slowly, Snowy started the long climb back down, one-handed.

'What did you say?' Parker's tone otherwise uncaring tone was laced with curiosity.

'I told him to come down.'

Just at that moment the tiny ginger ball of fur took the opportunity to scratch it's claws across Snowy's face and in three easy jumps, bound into the arms of the little girl.

' 'nk you mister' she mumbled before hurrying off with the kitten in her arms. Jarod barely spared her a glance. Snowy was in trouble. The shock of being scratched in the face had set him off balance. After a complicated wobbling routine he was hanging by one arm from a branch that was, of course, starting to bend.

'It seems that gravity has a sense of irony.' Stated Parker smugly. Jarod didn't hear her. He was already striding towards the tree.

'Oh no you don't' snarled Parker waving her gun threateningly.

'Parker!' protested Jarod 'he's going to fall.'

'Um guys?' shouted down Snowy. 'Not the best time to have a debate'

Jarod turned to Parker with desperation in his eyes. 'Parker please. If you let me help him, I promise I won't try and escape until I'm within the Centre walls.'

'Jarod don't!' yelled Snowy, even as there was an ominous cracking sound. It took all Jarod's strength of will, but he did not break eye contact with Parker.

'How do I know I can trust you?'

'I have never lied to you Parker, never. Please, he's going to fall.' He looked deep into her eyes, searching for any trace of compassion. Sighing, Parker gave a slow nod. Jarod turned fast enough for the action to be a blur and was half way up the gum tree before Parker could blink.

Jarod reached the same altitude in the tree as Snowy but getting to him was a problem. As tall as the tree was, many of it's branches were too thin to support Jarod's weight and he had to stay near the trunk, therefore unable to reach Snowy.

'Hang on Snowy' said Jarod with false calm, his pretend as a fireman coming back to him. He spotted a thicker branch above the splitting one that Snowy was clinging to and began to climb towards it.

'I can't believe what you promised her' said Snowy quietly, his voice full of hurt.

'Sorry mini-boy wonder, couldn't let anything happen to you' replied Jarod, still calm, knowing that if Snowy panicked then it would be the end.

'What's going to happen to me when you're rotting in hell?' His voice this time was loud enough to be heard by Parker below. Snowy seemed completely unconcerned about his situation, only upset by the promise Jarod had made.

'You'll get by' replied Jarod quietly, focusing his entire attention on the branch beneath him as he edged out along the thicker limb. When he had reached the right point, he lay down flat along it and stretched one arm down.

'That branch won't hold both our weights' warned Snowy.

'It will have to'

'No Jarod' Snowy was starting to panic.

'Snowy trust me. I'm going to get you down out of this tree, and you are going to avoid Parker and get as far away from here as possible. Walk up to the highway and hitchhike. Don't worry about me, I'll be fine, but you have to trust me. Take my hand'

Snowy's wide eyes locked with Jarod's and with a massive effort, Snowy managed to swing his free hand up to connect with Jarod's. They both hung there for a moment and in that moment the branch that Snowy had been sitting on gave on last almighty crack and thundered downwards, taking out three other branches and forcing Parker to take evasive action.

Jarod could feel Snowy's frantic pulse through their clasped hands and began a soothing monologue to calm him down so he could get him back on the ground. 'It's OK, you're alright, I'm going to swing you into the trunk, you have to grab a branch, don't look down, you'll be alright . . .' He didn't concentrate much on what he was saying just on the tone and trying to get Snowy to pay attention.

Slowly, Jarod set up a swing, getting bigger and bigger until the branch was creaking and swaying with the motion. 'Jarod! It's gonna break!'

'Three, two, one . . .' said Jarod calmly, then let go. It was with much relief he saw the thin boy hit the trunk hard and hold on, sliding down to rest in a fork. Then the world started moving and Jarod realised with horror that he was falling.

This branch fell more slowly, peeling off the tree in a great strip of bark. With nothing else to do, Jarod clung on for dear life as he was ripped at by smaller twigs and branches on the way down.

The fall got faster until every cell in his body was reverberating in terror. Abruptly, with a bone shaking thump that knocked the air out of his lungs, branch landed.

Every single on of Jarod's muscles turned to jelly and he released the branch and tried to groan. He couldn't draw breath. Such pain went through his chest that breath became the second thing on his mind.

He didn't move, just lay where he had landed and endured, desperately wanting the pain to recede. He realised he was making small coughing sounds in his attempts to get oxygen.

'It's OK Jarod, you're winded. Just take small breaths if you can.' It was Parker, kneeling beside him. After what seemed like an age the pain retreated to a bearable level. First in a small puff, then in great gulps, he was able to suck in air. He lay on the ground gasping like a fish with his huntress kneeling beside him, as Snowy watched in horror from above.



OK, OK, I'm a sucker for writing those disgustingly dramatic moments, even though I can't stand reading them. I'm so sad.