Chapter Seven (I almost didn't write anything else, but then I couldn't help myself)

Jarod sat on the edge of the small bed and waited. He wasn't sure exactly what he was waiting for but it was either his doom or salvation. In a little while Parker would enter to take him to the sim lab, where he would see Sydney for the first time in weeks. Then he would do something that he had sworn he would never do for the Centre again, in the hopes that she was telling the truth about Broots managing to contact Snowy. And if she wasn't, he would never be able to live with himself.

As predicted, a few minutes later, Parker entered the outer cell. 'You're looking better' she said as she moved top unlock the door of the inner cell.

'A week of lying in bed and not being tortured will do that for you.'

Parker didn't reply, just gave a wry smile and indicated that Jarod should follow her out. As they left the room, the two sweepers that had been guarding the door fell in behind them. Parker had protested the pre-planned show of force originally but her twin had only allowed her to push him so far.

'Jarod!' exclaimed Sydney happily when they entered the sim lab. He been briefed on what was happening but he had been unable to believe that Jarod had consented to do sims just on Lyle's word alone.

'Morning Sydney' Jarod greeted him, more sedately than the old man. 'Ready to act like a good little lab rat?' sneered Lyle, who had been waiting with Sydney for Jarod's appearance. Jarod knew he was trying to get him to back out of doing the sim in order to humiliate Parker, but the words still stung.

'Yes sir' replied Jarod, in a tone that strongly belied the words uttered. 'Behave Jarod' Parker warned him, too quietly for anyone else to hear. He lowered his head and walked down to join Sydney on the floor of the sim lab. Lyle shot him a taunting look before sauntering up to stand with his sister.

Words passed between Jarod and Sydney that were too quiet for Parker to hear and her eyes narrowed suspiciously. But then the two got on with the sim and so Parker let it go and stood back to watch.

Being a little out of practice, the sim took Jarod longer than it should have. Still, by the end, he had an answer and that was all that mattered. 'Take him back to his cell' ordered Lyle grudgingly, annoyed at how easily his sister had done what he had not been able to.

Parker walked with Jarod and the sweepers back to the cell. The sweepers stopped at the door and she showed him into the inner cage and locked the door behind him. She was just about to leave when Jarod swung around to face her.

'Make sure you uphold your end of the deal, otherwise I will spend the rest of my life making you regret it' he hissed.

Parker was slightly shocked at his vehemence but she didn't let it show. 'I wouldn't lie to you Jarod' she said simply, before stalking out to find Broots, to see if the tech had made any more progress on getting in contact with the elusive Snowy.



The elusive Snowy was now just outside the borders of Delaware, having managed to buy a ticket on a public bus line to get him all the way across the country. He had disguised the laptop case as his clothes bag to stop it getting stolen, so was unable to use it to check up on Jarod. He had no idea that Jarod was doing OK at the Centre, or that he was supposed to be stopping the Centre doing any harm until Jarod could escape.

Once he found a suitable place to stay, just the right distance from the Centre, he began to set his plan in motion. His hands were shaking slightly from computer withdrawal by the time he opened the laptop.

The first thing he did was patch into the Centre security cameras to check if Jarod was still OK. To his surprise, Jarod looked a lot better than when Snowy had last seen him. A bed had been added to his cell and Jarod was fully dressed. On the skin that was visible the only wounds were healing ones.

Snowy frowned in thought. He had obviously missed some big development whilst he had been travelling. Jarod must have struck some sort of deal with the Centre. It seemed so unlike Jarod though. 'There has to be some sort of catch' thought Snowy.

He sat and stared for a moment at the silent black and white image of Jarod, sitting on the bed. Almost imperceptibly Jarod signed a message towards the camera. #Snowy, if you're watching this, you have to get in touch with Broots.#

'And there you have it' thought Snowy, starting up an internet browser. Creating a hotmail account, he proceeded to put all sorts of barriers between it and his computer, routing through three different servers before daring to send the e-mail, immediately deleting the account afterwards.

After he had finished, he split the image of Jarod on his screen with the feed from Broots office, and waited for the tech to come in and check his e- mail. Jarod repeated his message to the camera three more times before Broots finally entered his office.

The e-mail read 'I'm watching you Broots. What is going on with Jarod? Write your answer down and hold it up to the camera. Snowy'

Broots finished reading it and anxiously glanced around before looking up at the camera. It seemed to Snowy like the tech was looking right at him and a small shiver ran down his spine. Then Broots dipped his head and started scribbling at a pad on his desk. It seemed to take a long time to write but finally he held the scrap of paper up to the camera. He flashed it too fast for Snowy to read and the contrast on the camera was all wrong so Snowy had to rewind the recording and fiddle with the image before he got a readable freeze frame picture of the message.

'Jarod's only doing simulations because Miss Parker promised him that I would get you to stop the Centre selling them for profit.'

Then Snowy understood. He didn't reply to Broots but shut the laptop and thought about his new course of action. He had to get a message in to Jarod somehow, to reassure him that he was in control, but that didn't change the fact that he was going to spring the pretender, whether he had told him to or not.

He could still use the program he had created when he had first seen Parker enter Jarod's cell, but the plan of attack would need some modifications. It would actually be easier now he was sure that Jarod would be able to walk for himself.

Snowy opened the laptop again and began to type.



Jarod was lying on his back on the bed, staring at the ceiling in the blackness when movement in his peripheral vision made him turn his head.

The red light that usually indicated the camera was working, was blinking. There seemed to be no rhythm to it until Jarod realised that it was tapping out a message in Morse code. –prepare to escape. 2 days starting now. Simulations under control. Snowy- The message repeated twice more before the light once more became steady.

Jarod smiled. It seemed Parker had indeed kept up her end of the deal. And Snowy was fine. He tried to quell his anxiety about what the boy was going to do. Snowy was more than intelligent enough to rescue Jarod without endangering his freedom. Just so long as he kept his wits about him and remembered what Jarod had taught him, everything would be fine.



Jarod was lying on his back on the bed, staring at the ceiling in the blackness, almost forty eight hours later. The simulations he had performed since he had struck the deal wit Parker had been strange. It seemed like they had been simplified when compared with real life on the outside yet this made them harder because he kept looking for information that wasn't there. Needless to say, Lyle was getting annoyed with how slow he was being.

At least there won't be any more now, thought Jarod with relief. Snowy hadn't actually sent him any more messages but Jarod was confident that he would be getting out tonight.

Sure enough, a few moments later a familiar sound indicated the door was being opened. Jarod swung his legs off the bed and stood up. To his dismay, it was Broots who came through the door. It looked like he wouldn't be escaping too quickly.

Jarod walked casually over to stand right in front of the bars and clasped one in each hand. 'What's going on?' he asked the dark form that was Broots.

'Well, um, Snowy says he'll crash my home computer if I don't do what he says.'

'Cyber black mail' laughed Jarod, his spirits soaring. The technician would be his form of escape. The silhouette of Broots nodded miserably. Just then the camera that watched Jarod's cell made a crackling sound and emitted a few sparks and a small puff of smoke.

Broots sighed. 'Well, here goes' he said, and unlocked the door. Suppressing his excitement, Jarod stepped out of the cage. Broots looked at him sheepishly for a moment before leading the way out of the room. The sweepers guarding the door were absent.

They walked down strangely silent, dark corridors, empty of people, for what seemed like an age. The repetitive action of walking became automatic and Jarod slipped into a trance-like state as he followed Broots to freedom.

They took the stairs up, every camera they saw either smoking or just plain dead. After the first few flights, Broots stopped the pretender at one of the landings. 'I'm supposed to stay here. Snowy says to go out the front door. Err . . . good luck I suppose. Please don't tell anyone about this'

Jarod smiled, although Broots probably wouldn't see it in the darkness. 'Don't worry Broots. My lips are sealed. Thank you.'

Broots' head dipped once in a nod and he opened the door out of the stairwell and disappeared into the corridors. Jarod stared after him until the door swung closed then he shook himself and continued his silent assent.

After what could have been three hours for all that Jarod knew the door on the landing was marked 'ground level.' His stomach tensing with nervousness, should he be stopped here, he pushed the door open. He was in the massive, echoing, marble lobby. It was completely empty.

Briefly, Jarod wondered what Snowy had done to so completely empty the Centre of people. He didn't look a gift horse in the mouth though. Quietly and quickly, he slipped along the wall, little more than a darker shadow.

Reaching the big double doors he put one hand on either handle he pulled them open with a mighty heave, eager to finally feel the fresh night air on his face. He jumped down the five steps up to the doors in one bound, the gravel he landed on crunching beneath his feet. He looked around for any sign of what to do next. Snowy would have arranged transport of some sort. There was a sudden loud wail. Jarod nearly jumped out of his shoes and looked around for the sound. It came again, and again, emanating from speakers hidden among the darkness folding the stone walls of the Centre.

Abruptly flood lights snapped on and behind the startled pretender, the lobby lit up like a Christmas tree. From seemingly out of nowhere, Parker was standing a few metres away in front of him, backed by Lyle, Raines and several sweepers. All of them had pistols levelled at Jarod. More sweepers flanked him, preventing lateral escape.

'Jarod,' said Parker in mock surprise. 'Now how on earth did you get out? Has that pesky little friend of yours been trading messages with you somehow?'

Jarod felt his adrenaline start pumping, ready to fight or flee. Either Parker had double-crossed him or she was putting on an act for her brother and Raines. He let no sign of his pounding heart show as he locked his gaze on her, ignoring every one else surrounding them. She met it squarely and her gun did not waver from its aim on him but he saw the answer in her eyes.

Taking a deep breath he took a step forward, then another one. Slowly, he walked up to Parker. No one else moved. The only sound was the quiet wheezing of Raines. One more step and he gun was pressing lightly against his chest. He reached up with one hand to hold the smooth, cold barrel.

'I am not going back there' he said, never taking his eyes off Parker. She cocked her head on one side slightly, questioning. With the tip of his forefinger he tapped lightly on the barrel of the gun. Understanding dawned.

Taking another deep breath, Jarod tapped out a count on the gun. One, two three. On three, Parker pulled the trigger. Jarod was no longer in front of the gun though. He flew through the crowd of the sweepers, yanking a gun out of someone's hand and using it knock Lyle out cold.

Then he was sprinting down the small hill that the Centre had been built on. The sweepers all turned and aimed their guns at the retreating form, but waited for orders. 'Bring him back' growled Raines.

As the first clod of earth jumped at Jarod's feet he dived into a roll then began to run in erratic zigzags, praying to Chance that he would not be hit by a stray bullet. He was heading for the road, hoping to high heaven that Snowy had planned for this possibility.

Black suited sweepers poured down the hill after him like ants protecting their nest. Occasionally one would pause briefly to aim another shot at him. Some of the sweepers had peeled off to fetch vehicles.

Jarod was beginning to lag, beginning to fear that he would truly be caught when a sound like a purring cat reached his ears. He smiled in relief an put on a short burst of speed that left him gasping for air when he finally reached the idling Harley Davidson that had been left waiting for him on the road out of Centre grounds.

Escaping the swarm of sweepers and the cars they finally managed to muster he seriously tested the limits of the motorbike. Finally though, the sounds of engines behind him faded and he was free and flying through the night on the back of the wind itself. For a while he forgot everything, just drove for the hell of it, speeding down the freeway that had been deserted with the night.

He passed through a small town, most of the shops shut up for the night except for a seven eleven and the petrol station. Jarod was going to drive through without stopping but on the sign that displayed the petrol prices was something that made him do a double take..

Some one had changed the price of diesel to $88.88 per litre. Grinning, Jarod roared into the petrol station, parked his bike next to a pump and went inside. Snowy was sitting in a booth in the trucker's café, sipping a chocolate milkshake.

'Took your time' he said, looking up. Jarod shook his head and strode over to hug him. After about three seconds Snowy ducked out, making puking sounds. 'Jeez Jarod. I rescued you from the Centre, not gave you a million dollars.'

'Guess which is more valuable to me?'

'I s'pose. Sorry 'bout the whole, 'nearly getting caught' thing. Lyle was watching the security cameras when Broots replied to one of my messages. I only found out an hour ago and by then the power surge had already killed the cameras and it was too late to stop it. I watched the whole thing off military surveillance satellites. How'd you do that thing with Parker?' Snowy was trying to act nonchalant but Jarod could see that he was nearly bursting with excitement and curiosity.

'Believe me, when you've know a person for a lifetime, and had to outwit them for six years of it, you can communicate with them pretty damn well when you want to.'

'Jarbeleesh' grinned Snowy.

'Yeah, well that too. Did I hear you say you used milliary surveillance satellites? Does that mean you finally cracked the CIA system?'

'What, do you think I'm slow or something?' joked Snowy. Jarod just grinned and shook his head and they strolled outside together to get as many miles between them and the Centre before morning.

The End