CHAPTER SIX
There were a few times in which the boy substitute for Jarod was ill. One it was the mumps, the other time, the measles. Of course, the time he substituted for Jarod building the tower, he had to have his hair darkened, and they gave him dark brown contact lenses. The only thing wrong was the boy was allergic to them. Right after saying "Where are my mom and dad?" he got ill.
However, the Centre was prepared. They got a film of Jarod when he was older, and substituted that. He looked older than the four years he was supposed to be.
But the one where he was afraid and ran was actually one of Jarod and then there were a couple in the bubble. Most however were the substitute and even so, everyone saw Jarod not as he really was but as what the hypnotist made them believe he was.
There were times when they also had to use the real Jarod in the DSAs, but they changed his voice to be that of the substitute and besides whoever saw him believed they were seeing a fresh faced lighter eyed and haired boy even though the hair was cut shot, Centre style and not the wavy hair of the substitute or Jarod2 as was his official definition.
Jarod was tall and so was the other boy. The DSAs had to be carefully screened, and the substitute put in Jarod's place for the real DSA showed the real Jarod. However, with a little touchup, a little camera substitution, a little over face, and that Jarod became the fake Jarod.
However when Jarod approached fifteen, his voice started to crack and the Centre had to be sure the substitute Jarod2 was available at all times. No more taking off time because of the flu. Immediately the Centre doctors inoculated the boy with every vaccination known to man, put him on a strict heath diet, no more coke and doughnuts, no more going to the Centre junk food dispenser and taking a bag of potato or corn chips. No more staying up all night gambling with the Sweepers.
At that time, Mr. Parker and Raines were having a private meeting in Mr. Parker's office. The door was closed, no sweepers were around, Miss Parker was learning her lessons, and there was no one to disturb them. Even the cameras were turned off and the listening devices silenced.
Raines was coughing more than usual and sat down most of the time, leaning back in the leatherback chair while Mr. Parker sat behind the desk, a gold plated pen courtesy of the present President in front of him and a set of travel brochures on Japan to his left. He flipped through them, set them aside, and then got to the subject in hand, Jarod.
"Jarod is going through adolescence. Strange as it may seem, he should've gone through it earlier at twelve. That's according to the data we received on the other Pretenders, the ones captured by my father."
"Them?"
Mr. Parker shrugged. "Why do you think we don't have to advise for new janitorial staff? Of course, to ally any questioning by outside forces, I've hired a few from outside, the kind they'd expect, low in intelligence, not Pretenders. Now as for Jarod going into puberty, so called."
"We must make sure he never enters it. I can have the doctor make sure of it. Chemical means might work, but physical means are permanent. Remember your daughter?"
"Raines, that is unacceptable. I can monitor Miss Parker and I can also set up the protective scene when I and if I want them together.""Together?"
"A Parker with a Pretender gene, controlled by us, believing himself free and yet not."
"A female."
"No a male. The Parker line must continue through the male line. That is why the boy must have the Parker name and not that of the man Miss Parker chooses as a husband. Besides, the time'll come when we can no longer get new Pretenders. Until such a child is born, we need Jarod alive and completely whole until he dies. That is the Centre will not tolerate fixing him. Now about the voice change. It is slight because of the freezing process, but his voice is coming a little lower."
"That is why we must have Jarod2 work as long as Jarod," said Raines who was getting more interested in that project, "And I have other matters to attend to.. How long does the mass hypnosis last?"
"According to the technician, it goes as far as the environs of Blue Cove, but once out the area— why?" asked Mr. Parker.
"Just to be sure. We might have to renew it."
Mr. Parker pounded the table in his office. "No. It is too risky. The mass hypnosis stops once we have Jarod safely where he belongs in the sublevel we designated. The electrical staff has almost finished the designs."
"Very well Mr. Parker," said Raines with resentment in his voice, "Jarod2 will be at this present employment until Jarod is put below."
However, time passed and when the sweepers saw Jarod, they saw the face change, become darker, more olive skin toned, and the eyes were darker. It was gradual, and thank goodness, Miss Parker was away or she would have realized. It became time to put Jarod permanently on the lower sublevels and to permanently retire the substitute.
Dr. Raines knocked on Jarod2's door. "May I come in?"
"What's this about?" Jarod 2 put away the cigarette he had bribed from a Sweeper. The garlic and mint candy were good at disguising his breath.
"Your assignment is at an end. The other one's going below."
The substitute Jarod had no idea of what was going on. "The other boy? Now what do I do now?" he asked.
Raines smiled. "I was thinking of placing you here permanently in our Sweeper program. You'll need to learn how to handle weapons, martial arts, take weight lifting, and you'll get a generous clothing allowance, driving lessons."
"Really, when do I start?"
"Tomorrow, But for tonight, I thought I'd take you out for dinner. What kind of food do you like?"
The eighteen year old put his feet up. "Well I thought of going to MacDonalds."
"I was thinking a more elegant restaurant."
"I just want to have a cheeseburger and fries." He pouted. "I'm tired of the helicopter, having to wait until night. I'm tired of flying to the South of France with all those lawyer types. I just want a normal good old US meal like I see advertised on TV."
Raines thought for a moment. It would be a little harder to do what he intended, and needed a bit more work. "Wait here."
"Don't I always?"
Raines left the spacious room and went down to the boiler room. He called over the head janitor. "We've an infestation of bugs in Sector A. A major infestation"
Meanwhile back in his quarters, full with every luxury that he could imagine, the substitute Jarod2 put his feet up on the table and watched the whole scenario on the screen, replaying a simulation the other one had done.
He started to feel a little sleepy so went into the fridge and took out a glass if milk. He drank it slowly, and then looked in the cupboard for some food. As usual there was none. One of the sweepers usually brought it, a steak with mushrooms, bread sticks, a salad, vegetables, and pies for desert. So while the real Jarod was fed on wheat grass, asparagus, tomato juice, and other stuff mixed into a glob only suitable for animals, the substitute lived in luxury. While Jarod only wore a uniform consisting of a shirt and pants, nothing else, the substitute had a sweater, trousers, shoes, socks, underwear, and vest. While Jarod slept on a cold floor or a cot when they had to clean his cell, the substitute slept on a real bed, with a down cover, and real pillows.
However, Jarod was more valuable to the Centre, like a prize bull, he was fed, kept healthy, exercised, and he was more valuable not because there were mostly Pretender girls in the Centre and he was the rare and lone male — although others might think so and which would led still others to think of using Jarod as one used a bull to fertilize the cows — but he was the standard to which the other Pretenders had to measure up and as such his genes were valuable. Actually the Centre Pretender population was evenly matched, half were boys, and half were girls. The Centre did not want the Pretenders to deteriorate because of inbreeding. And there were the surrogate mothers mixed in with the pregnant Pretender mothers. Of course, the latter were disposed of after their pregnancy was over and their offspring given to foster parents. The Centre did not want anyone to know the Pretender females carried four instead of one or two, and so two or three of the embryos went into a surrogate mother.
However this was unknown to the innocent tall boy with the lighter brown hair and lighter eyes than Jarod, and would be still unknown as the boy's eyes were wide open in fear. He was coughing, his eyes were watering, and he felt his throat constrict as the gas gradually entered the room.
"Shit!" He tried to make it to the door, but it was locked. The gas wafted in with that smell associated with pest controls. It was poisonous, it was deadly, and no matter how much he tried to scream, Jarod2 could do that no longer.
Finally, all motion stopped, the body lay on the ground between the door and the luxurious table filled with all the goods a teenage boy would have. Now only things remained while the only human subject had gone from life to eternity.