"Let’s go see the latest hole Jarod's crawled into" Miss Parker snarled. "And with our luck has already crawled out of and is somewhere in the Bahamas!!" She walked up to the apartment building that was supposedly where Jarod had been staying for the last two weeks.

     "You never know Parker." Sydney was as calm as ever.

     "I know Jarod as well as you do, Syd, he’s miles from here!" He didn't argue, just stepped aside as Parker pulled the door open roughly. It wasn’t like Parker to be so negative. Usually she was the one insisting that they would catch him, even when he and Broots had given up, but then she had been in an inexplicable mood for the last week or so.

     "What number was he in, Broots!" Parker surveyed the lobby with disgust. Though in truth it was actually quite a nice, clean, apartment building.

     "N-number 86. The very top floor." Miss Parker was always at her worst after finding one of Jarod's empty lairs and he wanted to avoid as much of her rage as possible. But then that didn't seem probable - he was her favourite verbal punching bag. Parker moved immediately towards the elevator to the right when suddenly her hawk eyes latched onto a guy with a nametag that said Supervisor. She reached out and grabbed his jacket as he walked past, effectively stopping him dead in his tracks.

     "When did the guy in no. 86 leave?" She barked.

     "Jarod?" At her impatient nod he went on "As far as I know he's still there, saw him yesterday when he took out the tras-" The man didn't get to finish his sentence because Parker had already taken off towards the elevator.

     "Well it seems miracles do happen!" Parker said as she got into the elevator and pushed the button for the top floor; she almost sounded cheerful. Sydney quickened his step to keep up with her. Parker looked impatiently at the numbers. Wonder boy had to live on the top floor! She thought. Her whole body hummed in anticipation, a rare smile forming on her lips. Sydney didn't share her happiness instead apprehension marred his features. They hadn’t heard from Jarod in almost three weeks and he’d been worried. Finding Jarod still occupying one of his lairs just solidified his fears.

     After what seemed an hour to Parker, the elevator gave a ding and the doors opened. Parker's smile widened to a feral grin.

     "This is it, Parker." Sydney said, his voice containing no emotion as they stopped outside of Jarod's door.

     “I can see that, Freud.” She bit back. They both looked around as Broots ran up to them.

     “I got the key from the Supervisor, Miss Parker!" He got out all in one breath.

     "Good." She said. Broots bent over to catch his breath "Y'know the elevator is a lot easier," she advised him sarcastically.

     "Was-it was ta-taking too long." Broots panted. Parker turned away from him dismissing him from her mind and instead concentrated on the door in front of her, the one marked with a crooked 86. Fitting the key in the lock she turned it and swung the door violently, wanting to catch Jarod off guard. The door ricocheted off the wall with a loud bang but inside the apartment, all was still.

     He heard a key in the lock turn. He had been listening to them talk for the last minute. They had slipped, he thought wryly, if this is how stealthy they are. He knew, that about now he should be panicking, his heart should be racing and his mind should be running through all the possible ways he could get away… But his heart was beating a steady rhythm in his chest and he didn’t even bother to Sim whether they had come with sweepers or not. Instead he just stayed sitting, as he had been for longer than he bothered to comprehend. Finally he heard the door swing open violently.

     Parker's eyes roamed the room for her prey. Is this how he usually lives? She asked herself. The room was a mess. She somehow didn't think so. Things were just getting stranger and stranger.

     "I was wondering when the Three Stooges would arrive." Jarod remarked, his voice low. Parker immediately located him by the sound of his voice. She could just see his dark hair over the back of the couch. She looked to Sydney; he had a worried frown on his face. She knew exactly why he was worried, Jarod didn't sound like himself and the normal Jarod would definitely not stick around if he knew they were coming. "You know I’d guessed you would have been here yesterday. You must be slipping." Suddenly he stood up and Parker's gun immediately followed his movements.

     "There is no need to point your gun at me, Parker, I'm going nowhere. Well actually I am going somewhere but it's only the kitchen" He gave a wry smile, not looking at any of them. All the others could do was stare.

     “Jarod stop right where you are!” Miss Parker yelled, raising her gun to him yet again. Jarod obediently stopped in his tracks finally turning to look at them.

     Miss Parker and Sydney exchanged looks. If the room was a mess Jarod was worse. While he wore his usual clothes consisting of black jeans and T-shirt they were rumpled as if he had been sleeping in them for several days. Stubble showed on his face and his shoulders were slumped. Miss Parker, never one to beat around the bush, skipped all pleasantries.

     "You look like hell, Jarod!" He gave a grim chuckle.

     "Well, I wouldn't know" Was his crypt reply.

     "What's wrong, Jarod?" Sydney asked in a quiet voice.

     "Just about everything, Sydney" Jarod moved off to go to the kitchen. Oh no he doesn’t, Parker thought. She was sick of these cryptic answers of his. She was going to shake a few straight answers out of him if she had to dangle him out the window by his ankles! Moving to stand in his way, she grabbed his arms so he couldn't get past her.

     "What the hell is going on, Jarod? And no cryptic wise guy act!" She looked carefully at his face, there were shadows under his eyes and he looked more tired than she had ever seen him. But it was his eyes that scared her the most; they looked dead like he was looking straight through her. She felt a shiver run through her.

     "You can't see me can you, Jarod?" She said softly. A knot formed in her stomach. It seemed so impossible but as she watched his eyes there was no light there anymore. No look of challenge, teasing or even frustration, there was no expression at all. Somehow that scared her more than she thought possible.

     Broots and Sydney stayed silent just watching what was unfolding in front of them.

     "Can you?!" Parker shouted. The loud sound foreign to the silence that had preceded. Go on, tell me I'm wrong! She challenged silently, desperately. Jarod’s head had dropped at her shouted question but he now raised it to look her straight in the eye.

     "No, I can't see you! I can't see anything! I'm blind!!" His voice rose until he was almost yelling. He violently pulled himself away from Parker’s tight grip on his arms. The room fell into a shocked silence.

     "Oh…" Surprisingly it was Broots that finally broke the silence. He swallowed rapidly when everyone turned to him, but it seemed to break the spell that had fallen over them.

     "What happened, Jarod?" Sydney asked quietly, while Parker was busy figuring out what to do. Would the Centre accept him blind? Would he still be useful? She didn’t have a contingency plan for this, Jarod never got ill, and she’d never had to think of what she would do if he did. She mentally shook her head to clear it. She should find out what had happened first so she could fully brief her father, and then she could decide what to do.

     "I don’t really feel like spilling my guts to my pursuers right now." Jarod bit out moving past Parker and into the kitchen. Once inside he pressed his hands to the kitchen counter top to calm himself down, the familiar feeling of the laminated surface grounding him.

     He knew he couldn’t avoid them forever, but the fact was he hadn’t expected this to be so hard. He hadn’t expected to care, that emotion he had almost convinced himself he had lost. He swallowed and sighed; he might as well get this over with.

     He moved back into the room. Being a Pretender was a great advantage to him because even though he couldn’t see them he knew exactly what they would be doing and exactly what they would look like. Parker would be pacing next to the window her hardest expression on her face to hide any uneasiness at the situation. This was confirmed by the scrape of her high heels on the carpet. Broots would be sitting on the couch trying to clear it of all the junk food wrappers. The crackle of chip packets in that direction told him he had again been correct. And Sydney would be standing in the middle of the room staring at him waiting until he spoke. Of all the people in the room, he was the one Jarod wanted to avoid the most and would be the hardest to avoid.

     "We can't help unless you tell us what happened, Jarod." Sydney said quietly, finally cutting through the strained silence that had ensued.

     "You can't help." He said crossing his arms in front of his chest as he leaned against the doorjamb that led into the kitchen. But he told them anyway, "I was doing a pretend as a laboratory technician and there was an accident. When I woke up in the hospital two days later I couldn't see. The doctors did tests, they came up with the same conclusion as I did-I would never see again." His voice was bitter and hard, but laced with resignation.

     "There is still hope, Jarod. They were only hospital doctors and you couldn't have done a proper examination because well...” He broke off uneasily “If the Centre doctors look at you there is a chance they will know something that will help you."

     “I know that you want that to be true… but it’s not. My eyes sustained irreparable damage, they cannot be fixed.” Addressing Parker he continued, “So are you taking me back or not? I know the Centre will be disappointed that their greatest pretender is now just damaged property, but they could always dissect me to see what makes me tick.” He gave her a false smirk. Parker replied with an unbelieving shake of her head.

     “Try to get some sense out of him while I call Daddy.” She told Sydney, adding, “Though I don’t much fancy your luck.” And with that walked into another room, which turned out to be the bedroom. She took out her phone and dialed her father’s number. While waiting for her father to pick up she took a look at her surroundings. A look of disgust crossing her faced was quickly replaced by a look of satisfaction. There by the bed was the DSA case. Jackpot! Her father chose that moment to pick up the phone.

     “Mr. Parker speaking.” He answered.

     “Daddy!”

     “Angel, what are you calling for I thought you were out hunting Jarod.

     You haven’t caught him have you?”

     “Yes, Daddy, I’ve got him-”

     “That’s wonderful dear, I knew you would get him eventually. I had every fait-”

     “There is just one problem, Daddy…”

     “Is it the DSA case? Don’t worry-”

     “No! The DSA case is here. It’s Jarod.” There came an audible sigh over the phone.

     “What is it Angel?”

     “He didn’t even give up a fight when we found him. There had been an accident at his last pretend…”

     “What is it?!” Mr. Parker said impatiently.

     “He’s blind, Daddy.” She replied softly.

     “What! How did this happen?”

     “I told you, there was an accident. He says that the damage is permanent and he’ll never regain his sight.”

     “The Centre doesn’t accept damaged goods! What good is he blind?”

     “I don’t know but I’m sure that he can still be useful in some way-”

     “Are you sure the damage is irreversible?”

     “Jarod says so, and I don’t think he’s lying.” She replied quietly casting a worried glance back towards the living room. This could all be another game Jarod was playing, but somehow she didn’t think so, not this time.

     “This is a great disappointment for the Centre,” there was a brief pause, “we’re going to have to cut our losses. I want you to bring the DSA case back and kill Jarod. Thankfully there is still the boy, as soon as you’ve finished there, I’ll put you on his pursuit.”

     “Wh-at…? Daddy you don’t mean for me to shoot Jarod?!”

     “He’s no use to us now-”

     “You could use him for-”

     “That’s my decision, now do as I ask!”

     “I’m not your assassin! Get someone else to do it!” Parker’s voice was starting to rise in volume but she paid no attention.

     “Angel you’ll do as you’re told and your behavior will be looked at when you get back.” Suddenly the dial tone sounded in her ear. The Bastard hung up on me! In a sudden display of rage she threw her phone at the wall with a scream of anger. This morning her life was hell but at least she knew what she was doing. Now everything had successfully been turned upside down and she didn’t have a clue what to do.

     Jarod, Sydney and Broots who had stayed quiet since Parker had left, all jumped at the sound of an object hitting the wall and a loud cry of anger. Wondering what had got Parker so upset they watched the entrance to the bedroom in anticipation. She entered suddenly. Though unlike Sydney and Broots, Jarod could not see her stormy countenance he could clearly hear the anger in her step.

     “I assume that the news is not to your liking.” Jarod was the only one brave enough to be the first one to speak.

     “I don’t think you’ll like the news but it means nothing to me.”

     “You’re lying. What has got you so upset, Parker?”

     “My father has ordered me to take the DSA’s and to…”

     “What Parker?”

     “Kill you.” She answered simply. A stunned silence ensued.

     “They can’t do that!” Sydney argued, the familiar sense of injustice and anger at the Centre welled in his chest.

     “They can do whatever they want, haven’t you seen enough evidence of that yet?” Parker started to pace the room.

     “You’re not really going to do it are you Miss Parker?” Broots up till now had been so quiet he put a church mouse to shame.

     “Yes, what are you going to do? Lose that last bit of your soul or do something that would make your mother proud?” Jarod still couldn’t resist a jibe but now they contained a hard edge that hadn’t been there previously.

     “What is wrong with you, Jarod? You, the person who says there is always hope, has suddenly given up? Do you want to die?!” Shouting the last question at him, she stopped pacing finally to glare at him. What the hell was wrong with him? If he had just carried on like he usually did she wouldn’t have to make this choice.

     “I don’t want to die… enough to do it myself…” He said darkly giving a nonchalant shrug. Parker gave an exasperated sigh.

     “What are you going to do, Parker?” Sydney turned the conversation to the more pressing matter at hand though he made a mental note to watch Jarod carefully. Parker walked into the kitchen with Sydney following. The others stayed in the lounge room. When Parker and Sydney were safely in the kitchen she lent against the fridge and let go a deep sigh.

     “I don’t know what to do Sydney!” She sounded a lot like the lost little girl he used to comfort.

     “You can’t kill him, Parker, you know that.”

     “But if I don’t then I’m directly defying an order!”

     “It’s not something you haven’t done before.” He gently reminded her.

     “But I’ll be proving all their suspicions regarding Jarod and me.”

     “And what suspicions are those, Parker?” She graced him with a dirty look. “Maybe after your father has thought a little he’ll realize the mistake he’s made. He hasn’t got a Triumvirate directive has he? Wait a little while and see if the situation changes.” Sydney may be a pain in the ass but he gave good advice occasionally.

     “Alright, Syd, we’ll take Wonder boy back to the hotel room, see if Daddy doesn’t have a change of mind.” Finally with a next step in mind she proceeded with a vengeance.

     Entering the other room with an air of authority she announced the plan of action.

     “Genius, get packing, you’re coming back with us to the hotel.” He moved with reluctance, but he moved. Something Parker was grateful for, she had enough problems without a defiant Pretender adding to them. But his behavior also made her uneasy, Jarod was never this compliant.

     “Ah…what are we doing, Miss Parker?” Broots got up from the couch nervously.

     “We’re going back to the hotel Broots, that’s what we’re doing!” He knew better than to press her so he kept quiet. He could ask Sydney later anyhow.

     Quiet reigned in the small hotel room. Miss Parker stood in front of the window looking out at the city and the prisoner sat handcuffed to a chair in the corner. Sydney and Broots had both gone out to eat. The sun was setting and the light in the room was starting to dim. Parker hadn’t bothered to turn the lights on yet and it wasn’t like it made much of a difference to Jarod. Neither said a word, it had been like this for the last two hours. Parker waited until she called her father again and Jarod…well he just waited. That’s all he had been doing since the accident; waiting for the doctor to see him, waiting for the test results, waiting to see if they could do anything and then waiting…for who knows what. To die maybe? He didn’t live anymore he just waited, he thought wryly.

     Parker sighed, finally moving from her spot by the window.

     “Where’s your phone?” She asked him quietly, the room’s atmosphere conducive to whispering.

     “Why do you want it?” He asked in the same quiet tone as her.

     “You know why! Mine… is having some, technical difficulties.” She gave a small smile remembering how she had thrown it against the wall. Jarod was taking too long in answering so she just went ahead and started rummaging through his bag. It didn’t take long before her fingers hit the familiar plastic device.

     “Didn’t your parents ever teach you manners?” Jarod asked.

     “I think I was away that day.” She replied, distracted by thoughts of the conversation she was going to have with her father. She walked back to her position by the window where she could see the dial face better. She dialed the familiar number and when the receptionist answered, asked for her father.

     “Angel, you’re on the plane I assume?”

     “I want to know what the Triumvirate thinks of your orders to kill Jarod.” She said skipping the pleasantries.

     “They are not my orders, those orders come straight from the Triumvirate.” His tone making it clear that he was trying and failing to be patient with her. He sighed heavily realizing she wasn’t going to give in to this too easily. “When Jarod escaped, the directive I was given was that he was to be brought back to the Centre by any means necessary, while he remained useful. But if at any time it became clear he wouldn’t be able to resume his place at the Centre, he was to be terminated and his body brought back for study.” She was reminded of Jarod’s comment earlier about dissecting him to find out what makes him tick. Turns out he wasn’t far off the mark she thought, a little sickened. “You haven’t killed him yet have you?” he asked sternly.

     “No.” She admitted softly. But shoving any nervousness at the orders aside she continued, “I just wanted to make sure what my orders were. The Centre’s been chasing him for five years… to suddenly give termination orders, without even examining him… I just needed to make sure that’s all Daddy.”

     “Then you’re OK to go through with this? I can get someone down there if you’re not up to it.” His suggestion raised her ire.

     “He is my assignment and I will finish what I’ve started. I don’t need some babysitter to do my job for me-”

     “Then I’ll expect you back here as soon as possible, along with Jarod’s remains… I know you knew him when you were a child and I have to say that I’m glad to see that you’re not letting any sentimental feelings hold you back from doing your job, doing what you were born to do! I’m proud of you, Angel, and when you get back we can see about moving you up the Corporate ladder.”

     “I thought we had a deal, Daddy… when I caught Jarod-”

     “I thought you would be over that by now. Can’t you see, your place is at the Centre, you are a Parker for Christ sake!” When he spoke again his tone was neutral, “I’ll see you when you get back, Angel.” With that he hung up and she followed suit. A minute passed before she again took up the phone and dialed another familiar number.

     “Captain Joe Hannon speaking.” The voice greeted.

     “I need you to get the jet ready, Joe.” She sighed.

     “Yes, Miss Parker.”

     “…And one more thing…”

     “You don’t think Parker will actually… do it… do you, Syd? I mean she’s not capable of-” Broots fought to say the words.

     “Cold blooded murder?” Syd supplied

     “Yeah” Broots replied weakly, fidgeting nervously, “I know how her father sent her to kill Lyle once, but that didn’t really go as expected and this is Jarod we’re talking about! She threatens him a lot and all but after everything they’ve been through…” Broots stopped walking to face Sydney, a serious expression on his face, “Is she really capable of killing him, Syd?”

     “I don’t know Broots!” Sydney replied in uncharacteristic frustration. He sighed and they continued walking back to the hotel. “She was such a happy child. Before her mother died, she was constantly smiling, full of such adventure. She was a gentle spirit just like her mother. But when Catherine died, everything changed and under Mr. Parker’s care that bright little girl grew up into a cold, hard woman.”

     “I can’t imagine what it would be like to grow up in that place, working there is traumatic enough!” Broot’s brow furrowed. “She can’t have changed that much from the girl you knew, could she?”

     “I don’t know, Broots, I don’t know!” He sighed deeply, “What I do know is that I’m not letting it happen. Jarod was my charge and I cannot see him destroyed like the Centre has so many other lives.”

     “But what do we do? If she really wanted to do it we wouldn’t really be able to stop her. Hell she could have done it by now and sending us away for food could be just to spare us from witnessing it.” Both men stopped abruptly at the thought. Broot’s eyes widened, “You don’t think she has, has she?” He asked in shock.

     “No.” Sydney replied, though a certain uneasiness had settled in the pit of his stomach. The men didn’t dawdle anymore and instead hurried back to make sure nothing irreparable had happened while they were away.

     Broots and Sydney entered the small hotel room a short time later. Both exchanged significant glances when they found both occupants still alive and well.
“We thought you might be hungry…” Broots trailed off when he felt the tension in the room. Parker walked toward them in full Ice-Queen mode.

     “I want you both to take the jet back to Blue Cove immediately.” Neither moved an inch. “Maybe I didn’t make myself clear… I said immediately, as in now!!”

     “We’re not going anywhere.” Sydney stated calmly. Fire danced dangerously in Parker’s eyes.

     “Since when was this a democracy?! You work for me, therefore you follow my orders. And I am ordering you to get on that frigging plane and get your butts back to the Centre!” She calmed down somewhat when she saw that yelling at them wasn’t going to sway them. “I talked to Daddy, they want to examine him, make sure Genius wasn’t exaggerating so you’ll both take the jet back and Lab-rat and I will wait for a sweeper team to arrive.” Anticipating their next question she continued, “They don’t want to risk Jarod going back on the plane considering the stunt he pulled last time he was on it. The sweeper team are already on their way and will be here in a couple of hours with sedatives to keep Wonder boy happy. I’ll then escort him back by alternative transport. Understand? Or do I have to repeat myself?”

     “Those were really Mr. Parker’s orders?” Sydney questioned.

     “You’d think I’d lie to you, Syd?” She asked softly.

     “Can’t… Can’t we just wait with you?” Broots spoke up bravely. Parker threw her hands up in the air and made a noise of disgust.

     “What does it take to get rid of you two? Do I need to sign a contract ensuring his safe delivery into the Centre’s hands? …Look, I promise Jarod is going back to the Centre in one piece, once there, I don’t know what will happen but I’m sure you both will get front row seats to his execution if he turns out to be of no more use to them.” Both men looked like they were cracking but Sydney still needed one last push.

     “Syd, please, you have my word.” Parker pleaded.

     “Alright Miss Parker. I guess we’ll see you back at the Centre.” He said reluctantly. Broots had grabbed their stuff and with one last sorrowful look at Jarod they left. Though Sydney had one last passing remark, “I hope I can trust your word, Miss Parker.” With that they left, leaving Jarod and Miss Parker alone again. She opened the take-away boxes Broots had left them but quickly closed them in disgust. She wasn’t that hungry, she could be dying from starvation and she would still never be that hungry.

     She paced the room, avoiding looking in Jarod’s direction. But she couldn’t avoid his comment when it finally came.

     “You lied to Sydney.” She didn’t reply, “You looked him straight in the eye and lied to his face… so you’re really going to go through with this” Parker remained stubbornly silent. “I know as well as you there are no sweeper teams coming, no change in plan. You just told them a bald faced lie to get them away.” There was a pause in her pacing, her expression distant.

     “I had to get them away. They couldn’t be here… for what I’m going to do…” She whispered. Her composure was wavering, having almost worn herself out emotionally by trying to convince Broots and Sydney. Even she could hardly believe what she had done. But she was right they couldn’t be here, not when she… Even in the sanctuary of her mind she balked at finishing the sentence. If there had ever been a choice, she had made it already. All she could do now was focus on the step immediately in front of her until that was done and then she would focus on the next and so on until she had finished this. Her back straightened and her face became cold as barely suppressed anger welled up inside her, giving her the energy she needed to continue.

     “Get up Lab-rat, we’re going for a drive.” Her voice was hard and foreboding.

     “So do you think the Centre will really find a use for Jarod, even though he’s blind? I still can’t get used to that, Jarod being blind I mean. Do you think being blind is better than being deaf? I mean not that I’d want to be either but if you had to choose-”

     “Broots!” Syd interrupted his babbling. Not that he usually minded his younger colleague’s ranting but he was developing a big enough headache as it was. He turned the car into the airport’s car park, outside the hanger housing the private jets. He turned off the engine but didn’t get out of the car. Broots threw him a curious look but the older man just stared vacantly out of the window.

     “Syd?” Broots said hesitantly.

     “Something’s wrong.” He told Broots.

     “You’re just getting that now? This whole day’s been wrong!”

     “I mean that story Parker fed us!”

     “You think she lied to us?!” Broots asked incredibly, not that Parker didn’t keep things from them occasionally but she had never lied so blatantly, if she had indeed lied to them.

     “I think we should go back- whatever Parker says.” The decision made, Syd reached for the keys in the ignition. His fingers never got that far. Instead they were diverted to roll down the window when someone suddenly rapped on it.

     “Can I help you?” Syd asked politely.

     “You can get out of the car, Sir, and come with me.” Syd didn’t move and Broots just sat there like a deer in headlights. “I’m sorry, Sir, but that wasn’t a suggestion. Miss Parker specifically stated that you two were to be flown back to Blue Cove.”

     “And if we didn’t want to go?” Sydney asked realizing the man worked for the Centre, though he didn’t recognize him personally.

     “Then we would be forced to take you under duress.” Without warning the man reached through the open window and removed the keys from the ignition. The man casually placed them into his inside jacket pocket making sure they had a good look at his holstered gun. “Now, Sirs, if you’ll just come this way.” His tone was cordial but they saw they had no choice but to comply. As they got out of the car they were surrounded by four more sweepers and were ushered into the waiting plane.

     Parker tightly gripped Jarod’s jacket, dragging him behind her.

     “Where are we?” Jarod asked trying to keep his balance. “And if you planned to kill me, why drive through the night to do it?”

     “Because killing you in that hotel room would be a little conspicuous, the cops would have been there before the gun was cold. Plus if the Centre wants to study your body you’re going to need to be put on ice and there happens to be an old Centre doctor who owns a morgue only a block away from here.” She replied in a dead tone.

     “But why not kill me seven hours ago and save yourself the pleasure of my company?” She didn’t react to his gallows humor, so he answered his question for her. And for first time since they had found him in his apartment he sounded like himself. “You were putting it off.” He said gently. That got a reaction out of her. She stopped so suddenly he bumped into her.

     “Just shut up, Jarod. I’ll tell you when you’re allowed to speak.” And with that, almost pulled him off his feet as she again started dragging him further into the abandoned warehouse.

     Moving low as to not be seen, the sweeper joined two more men outside the warehouse.

     “We have men covering all exits. She has taken him deep into the building. We lost visual contact but it looks certain she’s going through with it. Should we intercept now?” He asked the head sweeper.

     “No.” Came the reply, never once taking his eyes off the entrance to the warehouse.

     “If we delay much longer the Pretender is going to be dead.” The sweeper argued.

     “Exactly.”

     “Those were not our orders.”

     “We have new orders, folks.” The head sweeper finally looked towards his men, an evil grin gracing his features, “Apparently the Pretender upset someone he shouldn’t have.” He gave a grim chuckle, “We intercept only once she has terminated the target.”

     Parker drew the gun from the waistband of her pants.

     “Look at me, Jarod.” She said her voice quiet and distant. She raised her gun to him. He didn’t raise his head from where he sat handcuffed to a metal chair.

     “Just do it, Parker.” He said, his voice barely audible.

     “Look at me!” Her voice didn’t rise in volume but somehow her voice still reverberated in his head. He raised his head to her. He had never wanted to see anything more in his life than he wanted to see her face now.

      “I’m sorry, Jarod.” She whispered. This was all about choices, the Centre wanted her to choose, had force her to act on that choice.

     But in truth, there was no choice for her to make now.

     She had already chosen, long ago…

     The gunshot shattered the still silence of dawn.

     End of Part 1

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