Total Recall

Part 3 – Dangerous Games

 

Two days later Jennifer and Jarod were sitting in the living room, watching a new snowstorm that had started the day before. Jennifer picked up the empty plates and carried them into the kitchen, turning on the kettle.

 

"You're certainly better!"

 

"Oh, I have this thing about being sick," he told her. "I'm not too fond of it."

 

"Well, that makes two of us." She filled the two mugs and carried them over to the sofa. Handing him one, she smiled as she sat down beside him. "At least you're a good patient."

 

They sat in a companionable silence for several moments. As Jennifer brought the mug up to her lips, Jarod spoke.

 

"Jenn?"

 

She looked up, lips on the warm rim. "Umm?"

 

"I love you."

 

Jennifer, having taken a sip of coffee, choked loudly. She glanced suspiciously at Jarod, thinking that he was joking, but the look on his face convinced her that he was serious. There was a long pause.

 

"Look, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said anything. I..."

 

Putting her mug down on the table in front of her, she leaned over and, taking the mug out of his hand, kissed him. Feeling his hand come to rest on the back of her head as he responded, she sank into his arms. Being something that she had wanted to do to him for a long time, Jennifer knew that it was the best answer she could have given.

 

~~~~~

 

Jennifer looked up as Miss Parker burst into her office, with a sideways glance at a small girl who was sleeping on the sofa in the corner. As the door banged back against the wall, the child sat up, her hair sticking in every direction and her eyes bright. Miss Parker opened her mouth to speak but stopped at the sight of the infant.

 

"What on earth...?"

 

Jennifer turned to her. "Good morning, Parker. This is Louise."

 

The baby stared at the woman out of large brown eyes. A soft sound in another corner made Miss Parker look to see Angelo crouched in front of a vent. Jennifer looked in the same direction and smiled.

 

"Angelo, will you take Louise to see Sydney for me?"

 

As the two disappeared through the door, Miss Parker sat in one of the chair on the other side of the desk. Jennifer quickly hit several keys and closed down the files she had been working on. Then, as she met Miss Parker's startled gaze, she burst out laughing.

 

"Oh, Louise isn't mine! She's the daughter of a friend who has to go to hospital for surgery and will be out of action for about a week. Raines said that I could bring her to work."

 

"You should be careful; they might test her as potential Pretender material."

 

"Unlikely. The only person who might have tried is Lyle and...well..."

 

Miss Parker handed over the papers that she wanted Jennifer to prepare and then left the room. Outside the office she found her stepmother haranguing Angelo for having seemingly released one of the children from their rooms. Miss Parker became embroiled in an argument with the other woman that lasted until Jennifer appeared in the doorway of her office. Louise, breaking loose from the grip in which Brigitte held her, ran to her mother's friend. Gently picking up the girl, Jennifer cradled her while she explained to Brigitte. None of them saw Raines appear in the hallway and pause as a strangely paternal look came into his eyes. Taking as deep a breath as he was capable, he returned to his office.

 

~~~~~

 

Jarod sank back into the shadows and watched as the three figures entered the house. He had been stunned to recognize Sydney's voice through the open window of the car as it pulled up into the driveway. Having had to quickly revise his idea about being inside when Jennifer arrived home, he tried to imagine why Sydney could be there, eventually coming to the conclusion that they had come to pick up something that Sydney wanted before Jennifer drove him home. Hovering outside the entrance that she had shown him and that was not visible from the street, he waited impatiently for them to return to the car. Now that he knew what Jennifer felt for him, as well as having recognized the depth of his feelings for her, he wanted them to spend every spare moment together. As he waited, he recalled the conversation that they had had the day before she left the cabin for work.

 

"Jarod, surely I'm not the only one of us who knows the danger of you being so close to the Centre. I know you're stubborn but I wasn't aware that stupidity was one of your major faults..."

 

"Oh, please! Why won't you realize...?"

 

"No! Why won't you realize that what you're suggesting to me now is tantamount to suicide! You saw what Raines tried to do to Kyle when they brought him back and what he would have done if you hadn't saved him! Why put yourself at the same risk? The only way for you to remain safe from them is to do what you've been doing! Staying almost within Delaware, especially this close to Blue Cove, is ridiculous!"

 

"Oh, come on!" He leaned back, looking at her skeptically. "It takes a good two hours to get here by car and it's a horrible place to find!"

 

"And by air? Or had you forgotten about the fleet of Centre helicopters?"

 

The question had hung in the air between them for several seconds, at the end of which Jennifer had risen and continued to pack the few bags that she would take back to Blue Cove with her. The recollection of the time they had spent together made Jarod smile and he watched as Sydney and Jennifer came down the few stairs from the house and got into her car. Within twenty minutes she was back and he waited for her to go inside before entering the house himself.

 

~~~~~

 

Jarod sat on the sofa, watching as Jennifer picked up Louise and carried her out of the room. He waited while the small girl was put to bed and then Jennifer returned.

 

"What's the story?"

 

"She's the daughter of my friend, Sarah, the doctor who helped look after you when you were sick. I'm Louise's Godmother and while Sarah's recovering from surgery, she's staying here."

 

"And you're taking her to work?"

 

"She and Angelo are great friends."

 

Jarod laughed and then turned to stare out of the window. The snow, which had only begun to fall within the last few minutes, made any view of the outside world impossible. Wrapping his arms around the woman who leaned against him and stroking her hair, he smiled. Suddenly he looked down at her.

 

"I just thought - is she going to say anything?"

 

"Definitely not. Her father's in the CIA and she's learnt that anything she hears at home isn't to be told to other people. Her mother says that she has a tenacity for secrecy better than that of most adults."

 

He grinned at her and, getting up off the seat, poked the dying embers of the fire and stared out again at the snow.

 

~~~~~

 

Miss Parker settled herself into her chair. There had been no sign of either Lyle or Jarod in some time - the former in three weeks and the latter in as many months. However she had her suspicions that her father kept in covert contact with Lyle, especially as he had ceased to nag her over his disappearance.

 

"M...Miss Parker?"

 

"What is it, Broots?"

 

"Jennifer wanted to know if she could see you for a minute."

 

Miss Parker sighed with supposed frustration at the request curt but she was actually enjoying having a colleague with whom she could freely converse and therefore her actions were put on for the benefit of the man who was waiting for an answer.

 

"Yes, all right. I'm coming."

 

Miss Parker strolled into the office and watched as Jennifer tossed a bundle of papers into the top drawer, closing it. Miss Parker took advantage of the time to glance around the room.

 

"You've lost your visitor then?"

 

The redhead nodded. "She went back home yesterday."

 

"I see."

 

There was a pause.

 

"What's wrong?"

 

"Oh, nothing." Jennifer leaned back in her chair. "Quite the contrary, actually. I was able to inform Raines today that I had finished the work that he wanted me to do using the archives. Everything else that he asked for can be completed without having to be actually at the Centre, so from now on I only need to come in every second Monday, if necessary."

 

"Does that mean you won't be helping us anymore?"

 

"I'm afraid so."

 

Miss Parker sighed heavily and stared at the floor. "Damn."

 

"I know. But it's not the end of the world. I mean, I'll still be coming in every other Monday and there's always the phone - or email. Heck, it works for Jarod and Sydney, so why not us, too?"

 

"But..."

 

"...it's not the same. I know."

 

~~~~~

 

Jennifer settled herself in the large chair in the cabin. The thought that she had several weeks before she needed to return to the Centre was certainly a pleasant idea and, as she stretched out, she indulged in a satisfied smirk. She knew that Jarod was busy for at least a week, so she could have some time alone and look forward to seeing him whenever he turned up. However, as she glanced at her laptop, planning to shut it down, a message appeared on the screen. She stared blankly for several seconds, reading the words over and over until their meaning sank in. It was fortunate that the computer had been resting on a small table because, had it been in her hands, it would certainly have ended up on the floor. Gathering the bags that she had only recently discarded and tossing them into the car, she locked the cabin and then sent the vehicle hurtling down the road at its fastest speed.

 

~~~~~

 

Raines smirked in delight as he looked at the two screens. Both prisoners had fought constantly as they were taken to their cells. In fact it had taken several sweepers to restrain the older man. He looked around as the door opened and his eyes lit up as Jennifer walked into the room. Her eyes traveled quickly from his face to the two screens and the expression of joy on her face, put on for the benefit of the man in front of her, was almost painful for her to maintain.

 

"Well, I see you got my message."

 

"I did indeed." It took all Jennifer's self-control to keep her voice from trembling, but she managed. "What, exactly, were you wanting me to do?"

 

"I need someone to keep the records of all that occurs during their..." he paused to find the right word. "Treatment."

 

"Yes sir." Her voice remained non-committal as she followed him from the room.

 

~~~~~

 

Sydney caught up with Jennifer as she entered her office. Carefully shutting the door behind him, he moved one of the seats facing the desk and, with a heavy sigh, sank down on it.

 

"What are they going to do to them?"

 

She looked up at him. "Nothing, yet. They want to find out what they know about Jarod, and where the Centre might find him. If they won't tell, and I personally can't see how they could possibly know when they were only together for a few days, then they'll use tougher methods."

 

Sydney sighed and wearily rubbed one hand across his forehead. "If Jarod knew about this, it would destroy him."

 

"That's why you mustn't tell him."

 

"Ever?"

 

Jennifer caught Sydney's eye and smiled. "Can you really see either of the two of them sitting in their cells quietly for the rest of their lives? That sort of thing is probably hereditary." A faint grin appeared on Sydney's face as he rose to leave her office. At the same moment, a message arrived for Jennifer.

 

~~~~~

 

As she approached the door to the first cell, Paul, her own sweeper, dismissed the other guard and placed himself before the door. With a secret grin, to which the stony-faced man never responded, she entered the cell. The older figure was lying on the cot in the corner of the room and, as she entered, Jennifer was able to instantly detect the likeness to the man she adored. The figure swung his legs off the bed and sat up.

 

"What do you want?"

 

"To talk." She pulled up the chair that had been put in the room for her use and sat on it, facing the Major.

 

He regarded her somewhat skeptically, and, with a heavy sigh, turned to stare at the wall. The pen that she had brought down to make notes with slipped between Jennifer's fingers and, as she bent over to retrieve it, she surreptitiously pressed a button on a small black box that was concealed in her hand before easing the object into her pocket.

 

"Major, I want you to let me help you."

 

"Why should I?"

 

"I need you to understand. I don't really work for the Centre itself. I'm here so that I can help another person who has connections with it to stay out of it."

 

His face lifted and suddenly his eyes were full of hope. "Jarod?"

 

"Yes, of course. Now listen. We don't have much time. I'll be helping as much as I can and, when it's time to leave, it will need to be done without question. I would like to tell you more but I can't. Raines will be coming down shortly as the camera has stopped working temporarily." Her eyes danced and the man half-smiled.

 

"How did you do it?"

 

"Oh, I know a trick or two. I know this is hard but I need you to try and work with these people. If you were to be medicated, or moved to a different place in the Centre, I might never be able to find you again. Promise me."

 

The man nodded slowly and then, as knocking was heard on the other side of the door, he stared back at the wall. The door was swung open and Jennifer stood as Raines walked in.

 

"Jennifer, if you wouldn't mind?"

 

She joined Sydney and Raines outside the cell as Paul shut and locked the door.

 

"What is it?"

 

"The camera system on this level has failed completely."

 

"Does that mean I can't visit the boy?"

 

"You can, but we shall be with you."

 

"Very well, Mr Raines," she agreed, having surmised that this would be the result of her actions with the cameras, but believing it was worth the risk to ensure that Jarod's father, at least, knew her motives.

 

She entered this cell with as much caution as the other and her heart suddenly constricted as she saw a figure lying on the cot. There was no movement as they entered and Sydney bent over the young boy in concern. Raines merely smirked as he leaned against the wall.

 

"I've been informed that the boy was sedated this morning in an effort to prevent self-mutilation."

 

Sydney rounded on the other man and during the argument that ensued Jennifer was able to approach the bed and look down at the small face, eyes closed and his expression artificially calm. The likeness caused her to feel ill at the thought of what this child could suffer if not released soon and, prior to exiting through the door that the two men had just used, she gently ran her finger down the cheek of the small boy. It was a gesture that had calmed and comforted Jarod during the worst of his delirious babblings and she hoped that it would likewise prove a comfort to this child, who was only Jarod in miniature. As she left, she slipped a small piece of paper into the hand of the sweeper, but he showed no recognition of the fact as Jennifer walked down the corridor.

 

Two hours later a small rap on her door attracted Jennifer's attention. Even as she called to the visitor to enter, she was thankful that she had taken Jarod's advice. Paul had been a friend of hers ever since her parents had taken him in for a few months and it had been easy for her to accommodate the necessary references to get him his present job. His rise in power had been reflected in her own. As he shut the door, she disabled the cameras and short-circuited any microphones in the room before the two began to talk.

 

"What's the plan?" The expressionless face of the sweeper dissolved into that of the boy who had been such a good companion during the short time they had spent together as children.

 

"We need to get them out, and soon. If not, I hate to think what Raines could do to them."

 

"Do you have an idea?"

 

She grinned slyly at his question and he reciprocated in kind, raising an eyebrow as his curious expression demanded details.

 

"Of course. Well, the germ of one. You'll get your directions later. Just try to prevent them from being moved and, if they are, I want to know where, at once."

 

~~~~~

 

Jennifer was waiting in the bedroom that Raines had given her, having managed to meddle with the cameras in the same way as with her office. This gave her a relatively safe place in which the two prisoners could be brought prior to their planned escape. What amazed her was that it was the same room as appeared on some of the DSAs she had seen: the place where Jarod had spent most of his life. The boy had been sedated again, despite Jennifer's attempts to prevent it, and so was unconscious when Paul had carried him out of his room. It had not been difficult for Jennifer to slip a small tablet into Raines' drink during the course of the night and he was sleeping in the room in his private wing of the Centre. Jennifer and Paul, therefore, had the Centre virtually to themselves, having even persuaded the man in charge of the security room to take a break. Paul smiled as the two were brought into her room and the door shut.

 

"Well, that was easy."

 

Jennifer grinned as she glimpsed the sweat on his forehead and questioningly raised an eyebrow. He laughed softly and turned to the man.

 

"Sir, is there anything else before we get you out of here?"

 

"What about the boy?" Major Charles turned in concern to the bed where the boy lay, breathing deeply and steadily, but Jennifer smiled briefly as she walked over and gently ran her finger down the young face.

 

"He'll be fine. He should sleep it off in a few hours and that gives us plenty of time to get you both out of here."

As she spoke, the cover of the air vent in her room moved aside and Angelo, as he pulled a small, flat trolley behind him, peeped into the room.

 

"Right on time," Jennifer told him.

 

Angelo grinned. "Must hurry. Late."

 

"Yes, indeed. Major, Paul, let's go."

 

~~~~~

 

As the helicopter took off, Jennifer and Paul exchanged amused glances before returning to the lower levels of the Centre. Jennifer entered her office as Paul returned to his place in front of the rooms that had contained the prisoners. Then, when he was in position, Jennifer released the loop that she had placed on all of the cameras and returned to her work. It was only a moment before the man in charge of security burst, unannounced, into her office. She hurried down the halls behind him without a word, but, although it was hidden from the cameras, a small smile curled the corners of her mouth.

 

"What is it?"

 

"Look. The rooms..." The man waved at the screens. "They're empty!"

 

"What?!"

 

"The two of them. They've escaped somehow. One minute they were there and the next - "

 

Raines, responding to the alarm that had sounded through the Centre, burst into the room and glared at the guard. The drug had almost worn off and only a slight stagger betrayed its use.

 

"Well, what's going on?"

 

The guard looked terrified and, as Jennifer slipped behind the central computer in the room, and, beginning to type, she surreptitiously watched his face as it turned first pale and then slightly green. "M...Mr Raines, sir, I...I don't really know what happened. One minute there were there and...and the next..."

 

Raines brushed the man aside. "Fool." He turned abruptly to Jennifer. "What do you have?"

 

"The system was infiltrated several hours ago. A small piece of tape, made two days ago when they were first brought here, had been fed in and activated by an outside source."

 

"Where?"

 

"Somewhere in New York. At the same time, the security system on the roof was disengaged, allowing a vehicle, I would assume a helicopter, to land. It remained for several moments before taking off." Jennifer allowed herself to repeat her own actions of the evening, knowing that the one small fib about the location would be sufficient. Raines picked up a phone on the wall. Almost instantly the figure of Paul on the screen that displayed the outside of the cells showed him picking up a receiver that hung on the wall near him.

 

"Yes?"

 

"Paul, have you noticed anything strange or left you post within the last two hours?"

 

"No, sir, Mr Raines. No one's been here since your visit earlier this evening." The smooth, easily told lie reminded Jennifer of Paul's first weeks living with her family. Having learned from beatings by his parents that lying was easier than telling the truth, Paul had continued to hide behind a wall of untruth until he had been shown that honesty was not always unsafe. Raines hung up the phone and stared moodily at the wall as Jennifer waited for the response she knew would follow.

 

"Jarod! Damn it!" He turned and left the room, the wheels on his tank squeaking indignantly. Jennifer patted the shoulder of the disconsolate guard and followed the man out.

 

~~~~~

 

Miss Parker stared out of the jet window as she watched the ground vanish. To be woken from a perfectly sound sleep was annoying but to learn that the two prisoners had escaped was bad enough. And then to have to fly to New York with only Sydney for company, as Broots was needed to help Jennifer scan the system to find out what else the intruder had damaged, was even worse.

 

"How long?"

 

The pilot glanced back nervously over his shoulder. "At the very least an hour, Miss Parker. And even then the weather may prevent us from landing. That snowstorm from last week is unlikely to be cleared up."

 

She growled something inarticulate in response and glared back out of the window.

 

~~~~~

 

Jarod stared around at the interior of the cabin and wondered where its usual occupant was. He knew that she had had her hours of work reduced and had assumed that she would be there. With a sigh of regret, he turned and walked back out of the door. There were plenty of things he could do while he waited.

 

~~~~~

 

Jennifer closed down the final file with which she had been working and got up from the desk. Unaccountably, she was already exhausted and it was an effort to drag herself across the room. Stretching out on the bed with a tired sigh, she noticed that there was a slightly sweet smell in the air but lacked the energy to try and find its source as her eyes slipped closed and she relaxed.

 

Angelo watched from his spot behind the vent as two figures entered Jennifer's room and quickly moved her still form onto a stretcher that they wheeled between them. His eyes widened as he tried to empath her feelings but something was preventing her from feeling anything at all. He shook his head in bewilderment and began to follow the trolley as it silently moved through the halls and into the elevator. He watched as it stopped at SL-23 where, he knew, there were several rooms concealed down a corridor. That, he realized, was the place to which she was being taken. As he approached, he could feel the hatred that burned in the two people and, slowly, the fear building in his friend as the drug wore off. Angelo squeezed through the last few metres of vent and was able to clearly view the room and the figures almost directly below them.

 

"B...Lyle? Wh... what are you...?" The words were slurred and muffled as Jennifer fought against the drug that had been administered.

 

Brigitte moved into Jennifer's view and gloated as she watched the heavy eyes of her victim droop again. Although Jennifer fought against the drug with which Lyle was injecting her, it was useless and, several seconds later, she was thoroughly sedated.

 

~~~~~

 

Jarod paced the entire length of the cabin. It had been four days since he had first arrived and the fact that Jennifer had not appeared in that time was initially surprising and then concerning. The message from Raines had vanished from her computer within ten minutes of reading it, as she had programmed, and Jarod had been unable to learn her password, despite his best efforts. Each time he tried a false word, the machine closed down and he was concerned that she may have put a destructive file on. This prevented him from trying as often as he otherwise would have.

 

~~~~~

 

Angelo watched the two people leave the room and the door swung shut behind them with a loud click. Several seconds later the lights extinguished, except for one dull bulb in the corner, and then he crept out of the vent. Sidling over to the bed, he hesitated for a moment before reaching out and lightly running a finger down the woman's cheek, trying to avoid the newly created gash on her face. As her eyelids slowly lifted, she struggled to focus on his face, one hand coming up to cover his.

 

"A...Angelo."

 

"Pain." She nodded slowly and saw the expression of sadness that came into his eyes. "Tell Jarod."

 

"No, Angelo." She tried to sit up but the drugs were too strong and she couldn't move. "Please, don't tell Jarod. He can't do anything to help me." Her eyes filled with tears. "Promise me you won't tell him."

 

Angelo could feel the panic building inside her at the thought of Jarod being told she was trapped and he knew that there was only one way to ease it. Slowly he nodded. "Promise."

 

"Thank you." She gently squeezed his hand and he leaned over her again.

 

"Tell Sydney?"

 

Jennifer hesitated for a moment and then reached under her pillow, pulling out a tiny slip of paper that she pushed into his hand. "Give that to Raines first." She watched the empath shudder and her eyes softened. "I know you're scared of him, Angelo, and I do understand it, but he's the one who can help me most right now. If Sydney were to come down here on his own, Lyle might..." She stopped, unable to continue. "Put that on Raines' desk and then, tomorrow, tell Sydney."

 

He nodded before gently and slowly beginning to stroke her hair, watching as her eyelids slid down. She forced them open and looked up at him. "Thank you, Angelo." Her voice was a faint murmur. "Thank you so much." Her eyes closed again and she relaxed.

 

~~~~~

 

Sydney stared unseeingly at the computer screen in front of him. Jennifer's disappearance, now almost a week ago, had put everyone on edge, himself not least of all, and a lack of sightings of Jarod was not helping. He had sent several emails to Jennifer but all had been returned within forty-eight hours and so he was at a loss to know what had happened. Being deep in thought, he almost missed the glint of light from the air vent. Out of the corner of his eye, though, he glimpsed it and turned.

 

"Angelo?"

 

"Sydney come."

 

"Angelo, no, this isn't a good time." The older man looked up as both Miss Parker and Broots entered the office, waving at them to stay silent. He looked back to where Angelo was visible in the half-light, shifting impatiently.

"What is it?"

 

"Need help."

 

"Who?"

 

"Need help - now!"

 

Miss Parker moved over and impatiently pulled the cover from the vent. As the screws bounced onto the floor, the figure of Angelo dashed across the room and out of the door. Just outside he stopped and waved frantically. Sydney, feeling suddenly that this was important, jumped out of him chair and, followed by the others, ran down the corridor after the empath.

 

~~~~~

 

Jarod stared moodily out of the window at the teeming rain that was blocking his view. This made him certain that Jennifer would not return that night and he had been depending on it. Grumpily he turned and removed his computer from its bag. Slowly he began to run a search and, becoming involved, the frown left his face.

 

~~~~~

 

Sydney burst into the room and saw Lyle and Brigitte standing with their backs against the wall. What amazed Sydney was that it was Raines who stood with a gun in his hand, supported by more than a dozen armed sweepers. He scanned the room with his eyes and saw Angelo leaning over a still figure, lying on a bed in a far corner. Moving faster than he had known possible, he reached it and stopped, unable to touch her face. Jennifer's eyes were swollen and black, a cut ran from her right temple almost to her mouth and a split ran vertically down the centre of her top and bottom lips. They were parted, and in the silence, a ragged, uneven breath could be heard.

 

"Oh God." Sydney turned as he heard Miss Parker's voice beside him but he was unable to move his eyes from the woman before him. Angelo stroked her hair as he made small sounds in his throat.

 

"Angelo, what do you feel?"

 

"Nothing. Not there." Sydney nodded, having only wanted confirmation of what he already suspected.

 

"What did they do to her?" Miss Parker hissed in his ear.

 

"I dread to think."

 

Miss Parker turned slightly as Lyle and Brigitte were marched out of the room to cells. Raines moved from the doorway over to the group and stood staring down at the still figure.

 

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