Disclaimer : See Part One
Title - Dangerous Games
Author - KB
E-mail address - gekbruce@melbpc.org.au
Rating - G
Category - Adventure/Alternate Universe
Series/Sequel - Part Three of Total Recall
Spoilers - Many!
Summary - There's a new player in the game...
"Dangerous
Games"
By KB
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…” She leant over and kissed him. It had been something which she had wanted to do for a long time and she knew that it was the best answer she could have given.
***
Miss Parker glared out at the darkness. Although the car was still drivable, an occasional crunch made her secretly wonder whether they would actually get back to the Centre at all. In some ways she hoped they wouldn’t. It was bad enough that Jarod was still free and she knew that her father was going to want her to also try and locate Lyle. It didn’t matter to him that Lyle had almost killed Jennifer. It was from Raines’ wrath that Lyle had fled and, Miss Parker knew, he would not hesitate to contact his father for help if he needed it.
***
Jennifer looked up as Miss Parker burst into her office, with a sideways glance to where a small girl was sleeping on a chair in the corner. As the door banged against the wall, the child sat up, her hair sticking in every direction and her eyes bright. Miss Parker opened her mouth to talk but stopped at the sight of the infant.
“What on earth…?” Jennifer turned to her.
“Oh, Miss Parker, good morning. This is Louise.” The baby stared at Miss Parker out of large brown eyes. A sound in another corner made Miss Parker look to see Angelo crouched in front of a vent.
“Angelo, will you take Louise to see Sydney for me?” As the two disappeared, Miss Parker sat in one of the chair on the other side of the desk. Jennifer quickly hit several more keys and closed down the files she had been working on. Then, as she met Miss Parker’s startled gaze, she burst into laughter.
“Oh, Louise isn’t mine! She’s the daughter of a friend of mine who has to go into 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 which she had wanted Jennifer to prepare and then left the room. Outside she found her step-mother haranguing Angelo for having apparently released one of the children from their room. Immediately she became embroiled in the argument which continued until Jennifer appeared in the doorway of her office and Louise, breaking loose from the grip in which Brigitte held her, ran to Jennifer. Picking up the girl, Jennifer cradled her while she explained to Brigitte. Neither saw Raines appear in the doorway and a strangely paternal look pass over his face. Taking as deep a breath as he was capable, he returned to his room.
***
Jarod sank back into the shadows and watched as the three figures gradually left the car and entered the house. He had been shocked to recognise Sydney’s voice through the open window of the car and had had to quickly revise his ideas about being in the house when Jennifer arrived home. Using the entry which she had shown him and which was not visible from the street he had waited impatiently for her to return. Now that he knew what she felt for him, he wanted to spend every moment with her. As he waited outside, he recalled the conversation which they had had the day before she left the cabin for work.
“Jarod, you know the danger of being in such close proximity 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 realise…?”
“No! Why won’t you realise that what you’re suggesting is tantamount to suicide! You saw what they tried to do to Kyle when they brought him back. Why would you put yourself at the same risk? The only way for you to stay safe is to do what you’ve been doing! Staying almost within Delaware, especially this close to Blue Cove, is ridiculous!”
“Oh, come on! 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 hung in the air between them for several seconds, at the end of which Jennifer rose and continued to pack the few bags which she would take back to Blue Cove with her. The recollection of that time 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 into the house before entering it himself.
***
Jarod sat on the couch, watching as Jennifer picked up Louise and carried her out of the room. He waited while the small girl was put to bed and Jennifer returned to the room.
“What’s the story?”
“She’s the daughter of my friend, Julia. The doctor. Incidentally, Julia’s also an obstetrician. I’m Louise’s Godmother and, while Julia’s having surgery, she’s staying here.”
“And you’re taking her to work?”
“She and Angelo are great friends.” Jarod laughed and then stood and stared out of the window. The snow, which had only begun to fall within the last few minutes made any view impossible. Since the storm in late December, almost three months previously, when Jarod had become ill, the two had become very close. Therefore he was in no hurry to leave. Suddenly Jarod turned.
“I just thought - is she going to say anything?”
“Definitely not. Her father is in the CIA and she’s learnt that anything which she hears isn’t to be passed on to other people. Her mother says that she has a tenacity for secrecy which is better than that of most adults.” He grinned at her and, poking the dying embers of the fire, 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 but she enjoyed having a colleage 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, which she then closed. Miss Parker took advantage of the seconds to glance around the room.
“You’ve lost your visitor then?”
“Oh yes. She went back home yesterday.”
“I see.” There was a pause. “What’s wrong?”
“Oh, nothing. Quite the contrary, actually. I was able to inform Raines today that I had finished the work which he wanted me to complete using the Archives. Everything else which he wants me to do I can complete without having to be actually at the Centre, so I only have 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 doesn’t mean the end of the world. I mean, I’ll still be here every second 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 on 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 manage to have some time on her own. However, as she sat and started up the laptop, a message leapt onto the screen. She stared blankly at it for several seconds, reading and rereading the words until she finally realised their true meaning. It was fortunate that the computer had been resting on a small table, because had she been holding it, the certainty of it ending up of the floor was assured. She gathered some of the bags which she had only recently discarded and, tossing them into the car, 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 figures had fought constantly as they were taken into their cells and it had taken several sweepers to restrain the older man. He looked around in surprise as the door opened and his eyes lit up as Jennifer was shown into the room. Her eyes travelled almost instantaneously from his face to the two screens and the expression of joy on her face which appeared 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 noncomittal as she followed him from the room.
***
Sydney caught up with Jennifer as she entered her office. Shutting the door behind him, he took one of the seats facing the desk and, with a heavy sigh, sat down on it.
“What are they going to do to them?”
“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 grinned.
“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 hereditory.” A faint grin appeared on Sydney’s face as he rose to leave. At the same time, a message arrived for Jennifer.
***
As she approached the door to the first cell, Paul, her own personal 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 which had been put in the room for her use and sat on it, facing the Major. He regarded her sceptically, and, with a heavy sigh, looked out of the window. The pen which 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 which was concealed in her hand and then eased it into her pocket.
“Major, I want you to let me help you.”
“Why should I?”
“I need you to understand. I don’t work for the Centre itself. I help another person who had connections with 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 will be helping you as much as I can and, when it’s time to leave, it will need to be done without question. Raines will be coming down shortly, as the camera has stopped working temporarily.” Her eyes danced.
“How did you do it?”
“A friend of your son must also be very intelligent or he would never befriend them. Now, I need you to try and work with these people. If you were to be medicated, or moved to a different part of the compound, I would never be able to find you again. Promise me.” The man nodded slowly and then, as knocking sounded on the other side of the door, he stared back out of the window. 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 and 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 entered this cell with as much caution as the earlier one, and her heart constricted as she saw a figure lying on the cot. There was no change as they entered and Sydney bent over the young boy in concern. Raines merely smirked.
“I have been informed that the boy was sedated this morning in an effort to prevent self-mutilation.” Sydney rounded on the older man and, during the argument which ensued, Jennifer was able to approach the bed and look down at the small face. 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 which the two men had just used, she gently ran her finger down the cheek of the small boy. It was a gesture which 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, a small piece of paper was slipped into the hand of the sweeper, but who 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 he had been taken in by her parents for a few months and it had been easy for her to accommodate the necessary references for him to get 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 had dissolved into that of the boy who had been such a good companion during the 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.
“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 which Raines had given her and she had managed to meddle with the cameras in the same way as in her office. This gave her a relatively safe place in which the two prisoners could be taken. What amazed her was that it was the same room as appeared on some of the DSAs she had seen. It was where Jarod had spent most of his childhood. Jarod’s clone had been sedated again, although Jennifer had attempted to prevent it, and so was unconscious when he was moved. It had not been difficult for her to slip a small tablet into Raines’ drink during dinner 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 put into her room and the door shut.
“Well, that was easy.” Jennifer grinned as she pushed back the hair which, as usual, hung in her eyes. She glimpsed the sweat on his forehead and raised her eyebrows. He laughed softly and turned to Major Charles.
“Sir, would you like anything before we get you out of here?”
“What about the boy?” He turned in concern to the bed but Jennifer smiled briefly as she walked over and swept the hair from the young face.
“He’ll be fine. He should sleep it off in a few hours, which will give us plently of time to get out of here.” As she spoke, the cover of the air vent in her room moved silently aside and Angelo, pulling a small, flat trolley behind him, peeped into the room.
“Right on time.” Angelo grinned.
“Must hurry. Late.”
“Yes, indeed. Major, Paul, let’s get out of here.”
***
As the helicopter took off, Jennifer and Paul exchanged amused glances. Everything had gone smoothly and they returned to the lower levels of the Centre. Jennifer entered her office as Paul went into the guardroom. Seconds later, one of the other sweepers emerged and went to take him place in front of the locked cell door. Then, when he was in place, Jennifer released the loop which she had placed on all of the cameras and went to work. It was only a moment before the man in charge of the security cameras burst into her office. She hurried 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…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 which 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 began to type, she surrepticiously watched his face as it turned first pale and then slightly green.
“M…Mr Raines, sir, I…I don’t know what happened. One minute they were there and…and the next…” Raines brushed the man aside.
“Fool.” He turned to Jennifer.
“What do you have?”
“The system was infiltrated several hours ago. A small piece of tape, made two days ago, 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 fib about location would be sufficient. Raines picked up a phone on the wall. Almost instantaeously the figure of Paul on the screen which displayed the outside of the cells showed him picking up a receiver which hung on the wall near him.
“Yes?”
“Paul, have you noticed anything strange or left your post within the last two hours?”
“No, Mr Raines. No-one has come here since your visit earlier this evening.” The smooth, easily-told lies reminded Jennifer of Paul's early weeks in her family. Having learnt from the beatings from his parents that lying was easier than telling the truth, Paul had continued to hide behind a wall of lies until he had learnt that the truth was not always unsafe. Raines hung up the phone and stared moodily at the wall. 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 the worst. And then to have to fly to New York with only a shrink 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 least an hour. 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.
***
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 deep sigh, he turned and walked back out of the door. There were plently of other things he could do while he waited.
***
Jennifer closed down the final file with which she had been working and turned away from the desk. Unaccountably she was already exhausted and it was an effort to drag herself away from the desk. Stretching out on the bed, she noticed that there was a slightly sweet smell in the air but she lacked the energy to try and find its source.
***
Angelo watched from his spot behind the vent as two figures entered Jennifer’s room and quickly moved her still form onto a stretcher which they carried between them. His eyes widened and he tried to find out what she was feeling but something was preventing her from feeling anything at all. He shook his head in bemusement and began to follow the trolley as it moved through the halls and into the elevator. He watched until it stopped at SL-23 where, he knew, there were several rooms concealed down a corridor. There, he realised was where she was being taken. As he approached he could feel the hatred which burned from the two people and, slowly, the feeling of fear which was building in his friend. Angelo squeezed through the last few metres of vent and was able to clearly view the room.
“L…Lyle? Wh…what are you…?” The words were muffled as Jennifer fought against the drug which 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 in vain 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 come there and the fact that Jennifer had not appeared had at first been surprising and then concerning. The message which Raines had sent Jennifer had vanished from her computer within ten minutes of her reading it, as she had programmed, and Jarod had been unable to learn her password, despite his best efforts. Each time he tried the false password, the machine closed down and he was concerned that Jennifer may have put a destructive file on, which prevented him from trying as often as he would have otherwise.
***
Sydney stared blankly at the screen in front of him. Jennifer’s disappearance had put everyone on edge, himself not least of all, and a lack of sightings of Jarod was not helping. He had sent several messages to Jennifer on her computer but all had been returned within forty-eight hours. He was at a loss to know what had happened. He was so deep in thought that he almost missed the small flash of light from the air vent.
“Angelo?”
“Sydney…come.”
“Angelo, this is not a good time.” The older man watched as Miss Parker and Broots entered the office and he waved at them to stay silent.
“Need…help.” Miss Parker moved across and tore the cover from the vent. As the screws bounced across the floor, the figure of Angelo dashed across the room and out of the door. Just outside he stopped and waved frantically at them to follow him. Sydney, feeling that this was important, jumped out of him chair and, followed by the other two, raced down the corridors.
***
Jarod stared moodily out of the window at the teeming rain. This made him certain that Jennifer would not return that night and he had been depending on it. Grumpily he turned and removed his own computer from its satchel. Slowly he began to run a search and, becoming involved, the frown slowly left his face.
***
Sydney burst into the room and saw Lyle and Brigitte standing with their backs against the wall and their arms raised. What amazed Sydney was that it was Raines who stood with the gun in his hand, supported by more than ten sweepers. He scanned the room with his eyes and saw Angelo leaning over a still figure. Moving faster than he had known possible, he reached the trolley and stopped, unable to touch the face. Jennifer’s eyes were swollen and black, a gash ran from her right temple almost to her mouth and a split ran vertically down the centre of her top and bottom lips, which were parted and through which a ragged breath came.
“Oh my God.” Sydney turned his head slightly as he heard Miss Parker’s voice beside him but he was unable to turn his eyes from the figure before him. Angelo was stroking her head and making small sounds in his throat.
“Angelo, what do you feel?”
“No-thing. She is…not there.” Sydney nodded, having only wanted confirmation of what he already suspected.
“What did they do to her?”
“I dread to think.” Miss Parker turned slightly as Lyle and Brigitte were marched out of the room to waiting cells. Raines moved from the doorway over to the group and stood staring down at the still figure.