CHAPTER ELEVEN

Jarod had been on the run for almost four years. So far the Centre had kept him ignorant of what his real father looked like. They had failed with his mother, although Miss Parker had burned the information about her.

But Jarod thought that Theodore Walstaff was his father. The Pretender had gone to Arizona, learned the fake Native American view that Walstaff had portrayed, even fell for that yarn that Major Charles had saved his life, and that he was a decent man.

Well actually the real Major Charles was a good man, and as an Air Force Major had done some heroic things, but he never carved airplanes. He was too busy running to do much carving of anything. Besides he was more action. He did work on a model airplane once for surveillance and once a private airplane company asked for his input in designing a protective system so that their wealthy clients wouldn't get kicked out by terrorists during long flights.

Anyway, the Centre learned that the real Major Charles had a friend who now worked in an Arctic station and they sent a plane to take Walstaff to a Centre safe house. It was up north, which was understandable with all the snow on the ground when they finally landed.. A snowmobile loaded with two men, a nurse, and a very pregnant Eskimo lady got on the plane, and the pilot took off with all but one of the men, red faced with a broken nose, left Theodore waiting besides the snowmobile. The pilot had told Theodore that it was close to an arctic station where Major Charles' friend worked along with "a doctor who worked on the Pretender Project."

"Get in," said the other man.

"What?"

"You're sure not dressed for this weather. You Jarod2 right?"

"Yes, but my real names' ..."

"No talking. Put this around you." He threw him a Hudson Bay Blanket and they drove towards a Quonset hut at the edge of the settlement.

They entered and Walstaff saw that it looked almost like a laboratory, or rather an inside movie studio. There were spot lights, cameras, and a blue screen against one wall. It was quite warm inside, fueled by a portable generator and several electric heaters. Walstaff made sure to avoid them. On a table was a desk style Day timer as well as a pen and pencil set in a yellow marble container with a bronze inscription that said, "CNE 1966." It looked quite heavy.

The man with the broken nose went over to a panel, pressed a button, and it slid open. Inside was a rack of suits, jackets, jeans, and trousers all Walstaff's size. In one corner was a heavy winter jacket with a fur collar.

"All right Walstaff," he said, handing him an Air Force uniform. "Put these on," he ordered and snapped his fingers. A girl appeared along with a tray of makeup

"What's this about?" he asked while the girl applied some pancake makeup to his face and smoothed out his wrinkles.

The heavy turned on a projector which showed a picture of the real Major Charles talking to his friend. He was younger at the time. "I want you to imitate him."

"Why wasn't I told of these before?"

"Because the Centre just acquired these recently. The Air Force was doing a promotion at that time. Major Charles requested that his appearance be kept a secret, for obvious reasons However, the Centre has their fingers everywhere." He took out a camcorder and recorded Walstaff's imitation. "Now I'll turn up the sound. Can you imitate Major Charles;' voice? Mr. Parker has to get it correct. You're a little slower on the intake according to, well they don't count, but Mr. Parker doesn't want to take any chances."

"I thought Mr. Parker would be here or at least Mr. Raines."

"Mr. Parker and Mr. Raines are occupied at the moment and I haven't much time." He looked at his wrist watch. "We have another set to make."

An hour later, Broken Nose told Walstaff to dress in heavy winter wear. "We haven't much time. According to our sources, the real Major Charles already connected with his friend and we have to make his friend believe that you are the real Major Charles."

"But how are you going to do that?" asked Walstaff as he put on his new outfit.

'We sprayed the Station with the hypno gas, but it'll only last so long. Mr. Raines believes that Jarod is heading that way."

It took only half an hour for Walstaff to go through the actions. "So what's now?"

"You can wait until I leave and then head back to Arizona: He pointed out a closet. "Oh there's a change of clothes inside there and you might have to wait a bit." Leaving Walstaff alone, he went to a dresser drawer and pulled out a pair of heavy socks, long johns, and a jacket with a fur hood. "These are about your size. The Centre is always prepared. We had someone here a year ago, came from the Centre Satellite in Australia."

"Right." Theodore opened the Day Timer, looking for any blank pages. It contained the usual dates and times, but on the back of one page was a local map and an X ran through it. His eyes light up. So this is where that real Major Charles was heading.

Walstaff didn't want to wait. If he could get Major Charles and the Pretender, Jarod, in one swoop, he'd be set for life. However, he didn't want to risk it, if the price was not high enough. .

While they were heading for the Centre Quonset hut, Theodore had noticed the few men and women who braved the outside. Most of the people around had brown faces, and coarse dark hair, and looked a bit like Eskimos. In fact most of them were Inuit. And looking up in the sky, he could see the Aurora Borealis, the Northern Lights.

"How much reward is there if one captures this Jarod?" he asked as he got back into his street clothes.

"Why do you want to know?"

"Well neither of them have seen me and I'm quite an actor."

"Listen mate." The Centre henchman's voice became low and threatening. "Jarod's not only a genius, but he can become anyone he chooses to be."

"I thought I'd ask."

"Well forget it and leave it to professionals like Miss Parker. She and Sydney's been studying the Pretender long enough. Why if it weren't for some bad luck, he'd be in their clutches long ago. Now go and get ready, I'll turn off the li..."

He didn't finish, for when his back was turned, Walstaff hit him with a heavy base of the marble pen set.