Maintaining

January 8, 2001

8 weeks to go.

'Is it ready?'

'Ready and in the system,' Sydney's voice responded calmly. 'Broots put it in yesterday, purporting to come from you to me in our usual style.'

'Great.' Jarod smiled.

'Are you going to tell me the purpose?'

'You mean you haven't guessed?'

'Please, no games, Jarod.'

'It's quite simple. This is the first step in the downfall of the Centre, as we all now know it.'

'But not it's complete destruction.'

'No. It still has functions, uses, which people could work with.'

'People being you.'

'Possibly. I haven't really thought much beyond the next few months. I might play some sort of role in it, but I'm not entirely sure.'

'What else is involved?'

'Eventually? Those involved in the upper echelons of the Centre, or at least those who are still alive, will somehow need to be removed. I don't exactly know how yet, although I do have a few plans up my sleeve.'

'Such as?'

The Pretender chuckled softly, and aggravatingly, before starting to explain.

January 10, 2001

'Jarod?' a female voice murmured in his head.

'Right here.'

'Are you okay?'

'I'm fine, really.'

'You don't sound fine.'

'It's just...well, there's only a few weeks left and...'

'I understand, baby.'

'I know you do.' Jarod shook his head and tried to smile. 'How's the drug going?'

'Almost finished. Sam had a lot of fun pretending to be a chemist so that we could get the things we needed. I think it's given him a greater insight into how it would feel to be you.'

"Wait until he has a few deaths on his conscience. Then see what he feels like," Jarod muttered the thought aloud before fully realizing what he had said and trying to take the words back.

'Jarod, dear, I know how hard it's been for you to realize what was happening with your simulations.'

'But you were never aware of their final use, were you? Please tell me you didn't know.' Jarod's begging was made in the tones of the small boy that the woman used to comfort during the dark nights when he was assailed by nightmares.

'I never knew why the buyers wanted that particular information. And if I thought that it would be used negatively, I tried to abort the sale. Of course, it usually didn't work.'

'I'm sorry. I shouldn't be making you think about it. Let's get back the original topic. So the drug will be ready in a few days. And it will be in the necessary form.'

'Ready for releasing into the air, as required. They'll never know what hit them.'

'And that was always the original idea. I hate to have to take anyone's past away from them, but, in these circumstances, I think it's necessary.'

'We've nearly finished making the film that will be required. It contains photos of Sydney, you, Sam and the rest of us.'

'How long does it last?'

'Long enough, Jarod. Plenty long enough.'

January 10, 2001

"Two months and still absolutely no sign! It's impossible! You aren't doing enough!" Raines turned and glared at the gang of sweepers in the room. "There's no possibility that they can have completely disappeared! They have to be somewhere, so you can't be looking hard enough. And now she's disappeared too!"

"Calm down, Raines. You'll give yourself a heart attack. They will be found. There aren't that many places that a group of four or five people can hide without being seen. Even Jarod didn't manage - "

"And where is Jarod? There's been no sign of him for months."

"Uh...Mr Raines, sir...there was an email from Jarod to Sydney this morning."

"Did you trace it?"

"We're...doing it now...sir." A small bead of sweat ran down the man's face. The brainwashing had instilled terror into every sweeper and the natural reaction was the trembling which made both Raines and his associate feel so powerful.

"Well, when it's done, I want to know immediately. Understand?"

"Y...yes, sir."

Part 24

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