Sustaining

January 15, 2001

6 weeks to go.

Jarod clasped his hands behind his head and thought through various stages of his plan. It would be only a few weeks until it could be put into operation and he looked forward to introducing one of his support groups to the other. It would be a glorious day for them all and one the most positive beginnings to any coup that had ever existed. And then there was his plan.

Jarod wriggled his toes with glee as he thought of the many stages of the deceptively simple plan. It needed to be simple so that no one would suspect who was behind it. No one, not Raines, Lyle or any of the others, believed him capable of a series of simple steps.

The SIMs and pretends had always been complicated and the final solutions involved many minute details. Instead, this time, there were sweeping reforms which would do away with the old and usher in the new.

First, the computer virus, Hydra, that Broots had made and which had already begun its trek. Secondly, there was the drug, Stymphalos, that had been made and now only awaited use. Then there was Jarod's favourite step. Geryon. The removal of Mr Parker's possible support in Centre contacts. Of course, that was connected to Hydra. In fact, many of the steps were interwoven, but not to the extent that they depended on one another for success. Jarod was too careful to let that happen.

Other phases of the plan couldn't be put into effect until Jarod and the others worked out the system by which the Centre was being run. He did, however, have a plan which he privately called Augeas and which would result in bringing to light all of the projects which the Centre had hidden within the sublevels. Jarod had no doubt that some of the victims would be totally unknown, not only to him but even Sydney or Miss Parker.

The other stages depended on the condition of these other projects and, as such made planning more difficult. With his support, though, Jarod grew daily more confident that it could be achieved.

January 18, 2001

Miss Parker stood by the window and stared blindly into the street. Tears, flowing down her cheeks only moments before, still left their gleaming trails on her face. She had learnt the art of mind reading and was now accomplished at it. Having done so, she had created barriers that would prevent people from knowing what she was thinking.

Now she had a reason for doing so, and it was one that caused incredible personal pain - she had sometimes heard her mother's voice, talking in the silence of her room, when she felt most alone. Miss Parker had not been kidding when she had told Ethan that she had heard her mother talking in her head, but that had been years earlier and the phrases had always been the same.

Now they were different, speaking of patience, trust and, most importantly, love. What hurt most, however, was that the voice was so close. Miss Parker could almost imagine that her mother was outside the door or, in some cases, just beside her.

She had tried to hide those feelings but guessed that Sydney, at least, realised that they existed. Of course, he could have no idea of their basis and she wasn't going to tell him. In a brief moment of folly, as she saw it, the barriers had been let down enough to show Jarod what she was thinking. It couldn't be denied, although Miss Parker tried, that their conversations since his discovery had been similar to the ones they had had as children, after Miss Parker's mother had died.

'She loved you, Miss Parker. Don't ever allow yourself to forget that. And I'm sure she will be watching over you, then as now.'

'Are you sure, Jarod?'

Hearing the almost childlike voice, Jarod had a longing to reveal the information he knew and she did not, but he restrained himself and only repeated his earlier assurances.

'I knew her, too, Parker. And I know that she's never stopped thinking about you.'

Jan 18, 2001

The woman looked up at Sam and smiled. "Only a few more weeks and we can put Jarod's plan into operation."

"It had better work," the sweeper growled as he paced the floor. "If it doesn't, we'll all be dead, or worse."

"Working for them, you mean? That should act as an incentive for you, Sam. Keep you going and make you work harder than ever to ensure that Jarod's plan is a success."

"And we're not even sure what that plan entails."

"You don't trust him?"

"Usually I'd trust him without question but this is the Centre!"

"The same organization from which he escaped and has successfully eluded for more than four years?"

"Well, yes, that one."

'Still doubting me, Sam?' a mocking voice echoed in the first Mrs. Parker’s head.

'Don't, Jarod. You know he can't hear you and it won't help.'

'What will help?'

'Showing him once you're out, the infallibility of your ideas. It's the fact that he can't do anything which is making him this nervous.'

'Do you trust me?'

'Implicitly. I always have - you know that. I'll talk to you later, okay?'

The woman reached out and placed a hand on the arm of the former sweeper, trying to make him feel the calm she pretended to feel.

"In a few more weeks, this will all be over," she spoke quietly, knowing that Sam and his fellow room-mate were not the only ones hearing her words, "and when it is, then we can have proper lives again."

"I only hope that's true." The man sat down on the bed and faced the woman, a look of sudden frankness appearing on his face. "I'm scared. Scared that it won't succeed and that we'll end up serving under them - instead of the other way around. Scared of what they might do to us. Death would be preferable but none of us would be that lucky."

"Which is why we have to succeed, Sam. Wait for the next few weeks, until we find out what it is that Jarod is planning. From the little that I've been told, it will be very likely to succeed."

Part 25

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