Part Three
Miss Parker didn't know where she was. This wasn't like when she died
and Faith had visited her. Then she had seen the hospital room, the
doctors, and Faith, but now she couldn't see where she was.
Everything was blue, like the blue screens they used in movies and she
was just an actor waiting for the special effects to arrive. Maybe
that was it, maybe her life had been nothing but a series of fabricated
images that someone had decided to turn off. A Grimm Fairytale that
had reached its conclusion, the Ice Princess who pushed the people she
loved away was left alone in limbo.
"Wakes up....different," a voice hissed at the edges of her
consciousness, reminding her that she wasn't exactly alone. She had
these voices that whispered horrible things that she could half hear
and then tried desperately to forget. And Jarod. She could hear
Jarod and for some insane reason, he could hear her. And sometimes,
when she concentrated, she could see him, but he was on the other side
of the blue where she couldn't touch him. Despite that, the connection
with Jarod was the only thing keeping her sane. If it weren't for
that, she might have already given in to the voices.
*****
"Good morning, Sydney," Jarod greeted his mentor brightly. "When do we
get started?"
Sydney's eyebrows rose slightly. Jarod looked at him expectantly,
with no trace of yesterday's mania. Instead Jarod looked strangely
eager. "Start what, Jarod?"
Jarod stood up. He knew that Sydney was no fool, he wouldn't fall for
this miraculous turnaround completely. But he would go along with it,
if only to find out what Jarod was up to. "Simulations, of course.
I expect that the Centre will want me to earn my keep."
"Yes, but your compliance is unexpected. Before we start with the
simulations, why don't we talk about Miss Parker?"
"She's dead," Jarod said flatly and winced. The eagerness died from
his eyes and was replaced by...nothing.
Sydney observed Jarod's reactions closely. Yesterday he had yo-yoed
between insisting on a conspiracy and considering suicide. He was
up to something. "What changed? Why do you now accept her death?"
"I thought about it. About what you said. I'll co-operate with you
while I'm here, but it won't stop me from trying to escape. I will
find my family again."
Sydney smiled. Jarod was back. He had shaken loose from his
delusions. "Then let's go see what we can find for us to do." Sydney
led Jarod out of his tiny cell.
*****
The simulations were boring. Jarod sighed and turned his attention
back to the computer. They had him working on a Y2K problem for
God's sake. What if the Y2K solution implemented didn't work and all
of the world's computers crashed on New Year's Eve? What if Jarod's
brain exploded from sheer boredom?
"Jarod, are you okay?" Sydney hovered at Jarod's shoulder. The small,
slightly evil looking, smile playing on Jarod's lips was unnerving
him.
"Not as much fun as screwing with people's lives, is it?" Miss
Parker's voice reminded Jarod that she seemed to have free access to
his thoughts.
"I only screwed with the people who deserved it," Jarod thought back
at her. "But you are right, this isn't as much fun."
"Poor baby. You do realize that there is no 'what if' in this
situation. When you find the solution then the Centre will make sure
that, despite precautions, systems will crash and that they will have
the only solution. For a price."
"That's why I'm not going to solve it." Jarod blinked at the computer
screen. For a second he thought he had seen Miss Parker's face
reflected behind his own.
"Don't be ridiculous. Angelo could solve this stupid simulation."
"Jarod, say something!" Sydney's desperate demand interrupted Jarod's
internal conversation with Miss Parker. Jarod looked up in confusion
at him. "I asked if you were okay and you ignored me."
"Sorry, Sydney." Jarod scratched his head. Miss Parker had given
him an idea. "I think I need Angelo's help with this one. While I
was...away...I worked on concrete, human problems and not these
abstract 'what if' scenarios. I need Angelo."
"Angelo." Jarod could hear the disbelief in Sydney's voice, but the
older man didn't say anything to contradict him. Instead, Sydney made
the call to have Angelo sent over to them.
"Not a bad idea, Jarod. Do you really think Cousin...Angelo can find
me?"
"Yes, I do." Jarod hoped he wasn't lying.
To be continued....
Miss Parker didn't know where she was. This wasn't like when she died
and Faith had visited her. Then she had seen the hospital room, the
doctors, and Faith, but now she couldn't see where she was.
Everything was blue, like the blue screens they used in movies and she
was just an actor waiting for the special effects to arrive. Maybe
that was it, maybe her life had been nothing but a series of fabricated
images that someone had decided to turn off. A Grimm Fairytale that
had reached its conclusion, the Ice Princess who pushed the people she
loved away was left alone in limbo.
"Wakes up....different," a voice hissed at the edges of her
consciousness, reminding her that she wasn't exactly alone. She had
these voices that whispered horrible things that she could half hear
and then tried desperately to forget. And Jarod. She could hear
Jarod and for some insane reason, he could hear her. And sometimes,
when she concentrated, she could see him, but he was on the other side
of the blue where she couldn't touch him. Despite that, the connection
with Jarod was the only thing keeping her sane. If it weren't for
that, she might have already given in to the voices.
*****
"Good morning, Sydney," Jarod greeted his mentor brightly. "When do we
get started?"
Sydney's eyebrows rose slightly. Jarod looked at him expectantly,
with no trace of yesterday's mania. Instead Jarod looked strangely
eager. "Start what, Jarod?"
Jarod stood up. He knew that Sydney was no fool, he wouldn't fall for
this miraculous turnaround completely. But he would go along with it,
if only to find out what Jarod was up to. "Simulations, of course.
I expect that the Centre will want me to earn my keep."
"Yes, but your compliance is unexpected. Before we start with the
simulations, why don't we talk about Miss Parker?"
"She's dead," Jarod said flatly and winced. The eagerness died from
his eyes and was replaced by...nothing.
Sydney observed Jarod's reactions closely. Yesterday he had yo-yoed
between insisting on a conspiracy and considering suicide. He was
up to something. "What changed? Why do you now accept her death?"
"I thought about it. About what you said. I'll co-operate with you
while I'm here, but it won't stop me from trying to escape. I will
find my family again."
Sydney smiled. Jarod was back. He had shaken loose from his
delusions. "Then let's go see what we can find for us to do." Sydney
led Jarod out of his tiny cell.
*****
The simulations were boring. Jarod sighed and turned his attention
back to the computer. They had him working on a Y2K problem for
God's sake. What if the Y2K solution implemented didn't work and all
of the world's computers crashed on New Year's Eve? What if Jarod's
brain exploded from sheer boredom?
"Jarod, are you okay?" Sydney hovered at Jarod's shoulder. The small,
slightly evil looking, smile playing on Jarod's lips was unnerving
him.
"Not as much fun as screwing with people's lives, is it?" Miss
Parker's voice reminded Jarod that she seemed to have free access to
his thoughts.
"I only screwed with the people who deserved it," Jarod thought back
at her. "But you are right, this isn't as much fun."
"Poor baby. You do realize that there is no 'what if' in this
situation. When you find the solution then the Centre will make sure
that, despite precautions, systems will crash and that they will have
the only solution. For a price."
"That's why I'm not going to solve it." Jarod blinked at the computer
screen. For a second he thought he had seen Miss Parker's face
reflected behind his own.
"Don't be ridiculous. Angelo could solve this stupid simulation."
"Jarod, say something!" Sydney's desperate demand interrupted Jarod's
internal conversation with Miss Parker. Jarod looked up in confusion
at him. "I asked if you were okay and you ignored me."
"Sorry, Sydney." Jarod scratched his head. Miss Parker had given
him an idea. "I think I need Angelo's help with this one. While I
was...away...I worked on concrete, human problems and not these
abstract 'what if' scenarios. I need Angelo."
"Angelo." Jarod could hear the disbelief in Sydney's voice, but the
older man didn't say anything to contradict him. Instead, Sydney made
the call to have Angelo sent over to them.
"Not a bad idea, Jarod. Do you really think Cousin...Angelo can find
me?"
"Yes, I do." Jarod hoped he wasn't lying.
To be continued....