"Cree craw toad's foot, geese walk bare foot. Cree craw toad's foot, geese walk bare foot."
Miss Parker drew her attention away from Angelo's rocking. "Syd, what does he mean but this?"
"I asked him to search for Jarod. He began repeating the rhyme continually."
"Cree craw toad's foot, geese walk bare foot."
"Angelo?" Miss Parker stepped towards where he lay on the floor.
"No more Jarod."
Miss Parker turned back to Sydney. "Could they have brainwashed Jarod?" Her eyes were fearful.
"No," he assured her, "the Centre couldn't even turn him into an empath if they wanted to. He's too strong."
"No more Jarod, no more Jarod."
"Angelo, did they move him?"
He shook his head. "Cree craw toad's foot, geese walk bare foot."
"What do you mean? Please, what happened to Jarod?"
Angelo stopped rocking and turned to her. "No more Jarod – David."
Brigitte ran her index finger down the length of Jarod's spine. She moaned, mocking him. Jarod inhaled sharply, "Cree craw toad's foot, geese walk bare foot." He shifted uncomfortably on the mattress as Brigitte continued her exploration of his body. She brushed both hands down to the edge of his pants. She spread her fingers around his hips, worming them under his stomach. He twisted away from her, but her fingers crawled up his back, peeling his shirt away. He turned to her, grabbing her wrists.
"Leave me alone," he demanded.
She smiled and forced his arms back – his starved body no match for her strength. "David," she moaned.
"No," he whimpered covering his ears.
She slung a leg over him, straddling his torso. She descended slowly onto him gasping in pleasure when she made contact. Leather on leather. "David," she repeated.
A serpent's smile spread across her lips as she hypnotized her prey.
"Mind control?" Miss Parker hesitated. "But you said that was impossible."
"I had," he agreed as they stepped into the elevator.
"Sydney, what aren't you telling me?"
"I received a phone call from a colleague of mine. He is a doctor at the Centre as well. He said he had a chance to study Jarod as his and Lyle's projects overlap. He alone would recognize the anomalies. He has been apart of the Centre research on nanotechnology; he knows the Centre is on the verge of a breakthrough."
"What did he find?"
"They are using him as part of the nano experiments. The Centre has developed nanobots, self-sufficient technology that was programmed to invade the human body, even take control."
"I know what they have done to you, luv," Brigitte whispered. "You will be with the Centre again soon."
"What have they done to me?"
She smiled, lowering herself onto him. She pulled his arm up to her hip. He moved his hand to her stomach. "Oh, Jarod…" she gasped.
He sat up, holding his hand to her stomach. "Brigitte, you're pregnant."
She frowned. She grabbed hold of his wrist and attempted to drag his hand down further, but he resisted. She grabbed the sides of his face instead and pulled him to her. She kissed him, full on the lips. He pulled himself away – "Stop it."
"Stop resisting me, David!"
Jarod went numb and did not struggle when she kissed him again. His hand fell into her lap.
Miss Parker opened the door.
She caught her breath, surprised at what she saw.
Brigitte pulled herself away and smiled, "I was just explaining to Jarod that you were coming to visit him."
Jarod shook her off weakly. She clung to his arm, playing with the sleeve of his shirt. Miss Parker watched in disgust as Brigitte slung her hand through Jarod hair.
"Stop it, just… He's coming with me."
Brigitte shrugged and helped Jarod to his feet. Miss Parker took his shoulder and guided him out of the room.
Sydney held a penlight steadily into Jarod's eyes. He watched as tiny black dots moved beneath the corneas. Jarod shook slightly.
"Is there any way to remove them?" Miss Parker asked.
"We'd risk permanent damage to his eyes."
"What do you think we should do?" Broots asked.
"Any ideas, Jarod?"
Jarod shook his head.
"Maybe there's some way to deactivate them…interrupt their energy supply?" Broots suggested.
Jarod shook his head again; "They run on bio-electricity."
"Can we try to overload them?"
Jarod shrugged, "I don't know if that'd work. We could try."
Sydney nodded, "Alright, Broots, you have less than half an hour to assemble what you need."
"We put together a headset that will feed an electrical pulse to Jarod's head. It gives off less energy than what could power a Christmas tree light, so safety shouldn't be a concern."
"Start it then," Miss Parker said.
Jarod leaned back against the chair as Broots helped him slip the band around his head. It rested just above his eyebrows. He nodded to Broots to start it. Broots plugged it in and Jarod felt a mild buzzing sensation. He cried out as he felt an explosion behind his eyes. Jarod felt the buzzing cease as he collapsed against the chair.
"I want you to kill, Jarod."
"No, I won't do that!" Jarod shouted.
"I'm giving you a choice," Lyle forced the gun to the right, "The clone," he forced it to the left, "Or Major Charles."
"Never!"
"Kill one or we will kill them both."
Jarod heard screams from the boy and a heavy metallic noise. "No, leave him alone!"
Jarod pulled back the hammer of the gun, "I'll choose."
He held up the gun to his head.
"No!" Lyle shouted, tackling Jarod. He pulled Jarod up again and forced the gun back into his hands. "That is not an option, David."
Jarod hung his head. "You can't make me decide this."
Another needle penetrated his arm. "Sodium pentothal," Lyle whispered.
Jarod recoiled in horror. He felt weaker, more tired. "No," he muttered, "I won't let you, I can't let you. I will fight you!"
"Who should die, Jarod?"
"You should, you bastard. After everything you have done to my family – kidnapped them, brainwashed them – you have even created a child, a copy of me only more willing. People aren't your slaves, you can't create them at will and program them like computers. You disgust me!"
"People create life all the time…"
"Not like that. He's not natural; he is a copy of me. A clone, a recreation who should never had existed."
Jarod heard the boy cry out in shame.
"Then you have made your choice, Jarod?"
Jarod awoke on the chair and shouted, "No! You bastard, Lyle, no!" He struggled against the weight of Broots, Sydney and Parker. He finally collapsed, sobbing.
"Jarod," Sydney whispered, "Jarod, it's alright. You are safe here."
"Not then – Sydney, I keep remembering pieces of what happened. The device must have triggered something in the nanites. It brought back more of what Lyle… made me do."
"What do you remember, Jarod?"
He lowered his head, "I think Lyle made me choose between my father and the clone."