Two Faces
Part 1


The Centre
Blue Cove, Delaware
9am May 11, 2000
"So you understand the situations, Miss...?"

"Please, call me Stephanie."

"That, as we understand it, is not your birth name."

A smile broke through the previously expressionless face. "It is the name that I adopted when I entered the services. Also, from what I have read, it is perhaps better if I do not use my given name here."

The figure seated in the middle of the three also smiled. "That is perfectly understandable. You have done your research well."

"I considered it necessary."

"And you're right. It is. Your task is pivotal to the success of our plans and we cannot afford to have it fail."

"I will do my utmost to ensure that it does not."

"Your utmost, judging by your record, is excellent."

The head, held by the slender neck, inclined itself slightly. "I allow my record to speak for itself."

The man closed the slender folder and placed his folded hands on top of it. The figure to his right spoke for the first time during the interview. "You were recommended to us and we have seen you in action. You are well known for your reticence and your common sense. This is why we trust you with this task. You will be our assistant and will complete your given tasks to the best of your abilities. Meaning, you will succeed. You must succeed. You have no alternative."

The woman bowed her head briefly in acquiescence and then raised it, looking each of the figures firmly in the eye. "Failure is out of the question. I will succeed or die in the attempt. I realize that if I do not succeed, I will have no second chances."

The first figure spoke again. "You understand us well. We shall work well together. You may begin."

The woman rose from her seat and was about to exit the room, when the third figure spoke. "Good luck. You will need it."

Stephanie turned and faced them again. "I do not believe in luck. I believe in results."

She was walking down the hallway when she heard the footsteps hurrying behind her. Mr Lyle was the only figure whose height and weight would result in such sounds, she figured silently and rapidly.

Christened Bobby Bowman after being taken from his natural parents and handed over to adoptive parents.

Mr Lyle.

Forty years, six months and nineteen days old.

A psychopathic mass-murderer.

A former resident of Nebraska and now living at 23504 Blythe Street, Blue Cove, Delaware.

Worked at virtually every level of the Centre, except for the highest, and also involved in most projects conducted under Raines guidance.

Of course, there was also his thing for Asian women. And this was another reason for her use in the project - her appearance. It would be sorely tempting and she knew that he would be fawning on her as soon as possible. This wasn't the response she wanted from him, though. The response, she had decided as she had first read his file, that would be required from him was respect. And she knew the best way to get it.

He came up beside her and, as she knew he would, walked slightly in front of her so that she was forced to stop when he did.

"I believe that you're the new member of the team. Allow me to welcome you. My name is Mr Lyle." She watched his as his eyes ran over her slender figure in its figure-hugging, oriental-style dress. She could almost see him drooling and had to remind herself to show no expression. It took several seconds before he seemed able to speak.

"And you are?"

"My name is Stephanie."

"Such an American name?"

"I took it on when I moved here, several years ago."

"And you're the one who's going to help us catch Jarod?"

"So I was informed when I was employed here."

"Not exactly a job for a lady."

"But you already have a lady working on the team, I understand. Miss...Parker?"

She watched Lyle's face darken at the mention of his twin sister. She ran through the information she had on the woman.

The only daughter of Mr Parker and Catherine Parker.

Also forty years, six months and nineteen days old.

Currently living in the home that her father had given to her upon her graduation, Briar Road, Blue Cove, Delaware.

A past Cleaner in the Centre and then moved to Corporate and brought back to return Jarod to the Centre.

Spent time studying in Japan and had a brief affair with Tommy Tanaka, now a powerful man in the Japanese Yakuza.

She had also had an affair with Thomas Gates, who had been killed more than a year earlier.

An adept pupil of the art of fencing and also a person who fought hard to keep their emotions under wraps.

A person who would resent Stephanie's position and would try to make life as difficult as possible. From this person, too, the newcomer would require respect but also something more. Perhaps...friendship?

As she waited, Mr Lyle recovered from the feelings her last comment had caused and began to walk beside her, slipping one arm around her shoulders. She could feel the four fingers as they kneaded her shoulder in a way that was less than pleasant. He looked down at her.

"So where are you from?"

She controlled her anger and planned her next move. "I am half-Asian, Mr. Lyle."

"Really, what's the other half?"

Reaching up, she covered his hand with her own and, grasping it firmly, she spun him around until they were face to face. While he was still trying to recover from the dizziness her actions had caused, she moved in closer and brought one knee up, hard, into his groin. Then she brought the other hand down on the back of his neck, making him drop to the ground with a moan. She picked up his head in her two hands and pinched his chin between her thumb and forefinger, where they would leave clear bruises.

"Half-Asian and half black-belt Karate, Mr Lyle."

She stepped back and watched as he rubbed his jaw with one hand. Mistrusting as always, she watched him closely, as she had been taught. Her training paid off and Lyle could only stare, open-mouthed, as the gun, which he had just begun to draw, flew from his hand and landed in hers. It took several seconds for him to realize that his hand was stinging from where her foot had slapped it and he hesitantly half-raised both hands above his head as she aimed his gun at him.

"All you had to do was ask, *Mr* Lyle," she emphasized carefully. "But try it again and I'll shoot your head off." She glanced at his thumbless hand. "Or maybe just your other thumb." She thrust the gun into the empty holster that she was temporarily wearing and spun on her heel, walking away. One look at Mr Lyle's eyes when he had seen her holding his gun and she knew that she had won. Respect it would be, from him at least. She had made sure of that.

When she entered her office, the light on her phone was already flashing and she knew immediately who it would be as she answered the call.

"It's me."

"When we gave you the job, we did not intend that you beat our employees to a pulp."

"I know that, sir. But with Lyle it was a calculated risk. He is a calculated risk and I had to be sure that he and I understood each other."

"Well, you certainly made certain of that."

"I had to, sir."

"Yes, yes. I can see how you would feel that way. Well, do try to be a little nicer to our other employees. You don’t want to put them all off-side."

She smiled. "I was under the impression that it was part of the plan, sir."

There was an instant of silence on the other end, followed by a deep, throaty laugh "All right, Miss Stephanie. You play the game your own way. We will be your audience."

"I will try not to disappoint, sir."

"You are very entertaining, Miss Stephanie. Do go on."

"Thank-you sir." He cut the connection and she sat down in the chair behind the desk. Entertaining. It was not the first time that someone had used that word and, always assuming that she succeeded in her task, it wouldn't be the last. She did her work as much to entertain as to be effective. Entertainment could also be construed as distraction, and she was very, *very* good at distraction.

Stevenson's Falls, Delaware
6:30pm May 11, 2000
"I'm home."

"Thank God!" The male figure appeared in the hallway as Stephanie dropped her bags and picked up the little girl who had run into the room and hugged her legs. She looked at the man who stood, holding a wriggling toddler in his arms. "Neither of these two was going anywhere near bed until their Mommy got home."

"And I suppose their Daddy wouldn't either."

He smiled and wrapped an arm around her waist. He always knew exactly what made her feel best and, right now, it was exactly what she needed.

He ignored her statement and, as was his wont, asked his own question. "Hard day?"

"You could say that."

"First days usually are."

"This one was unusually tough."

"Mommy, story!"

"Okay, okay. What say we give Mommy five minutes to catch her breath and then maybe you can get a story."

"You go and pick one out, Clare. And take Jeremy with you."

The two children disappeared into a nearby room and Stephanie leaned her head on his shoulder as they went down the hallway to the living room.

"How was your day?"

"Relatively simple. At least, compared to the last week or so."

"You mean that case down in Arizona?"

"Yeah."

"Look on the bright side. At least you managed to get it solved in time to be home today, with the kids."

"And the peace and quiet here was so affluent as to be non-existent!"

"Why do you think I'm so keen to get back to work?"

He laughed and pulled her a little closer. "Dinner?"

"Mmm, as long as it's not Cup O'Soup."

"Oh, I promise. Proper cooking."

"And none of that ex-Centre food either. Meat and three vegetables, like every other family in America."

He laughed. "I was thinking maybe something Asian."

"And the last time you attempted Asian, we had to buy it from the local take-away."

"But I've been reading about it since then, and now I know where I went wrong."

"I hope so. I hate soggy rice." She stood up and stretched.

"Where are you going?"

"To read the kids and story, and then back to the kitchen to enjoy my take-away dinner."

He stuck his tongue out at her and continued his preparations.

The Centre
Blue Cove, Delaware
9am May 12, 2000
The group sitting around the table was quiet, with only murmured conversations occurring between one or two of them. Stephanie remained silent, using her heightened senses to detect snippets of conversation. Raines and Willie were discussing the possibility of removing Cox from the picture, Mr Parker and Lyle were talking about the chances they and others had of being put in charge of the pursuit of Jarod and Miss Parker, Sydney and Broots were talking about the latest present that Jarod had sent them that morning. She had seen it herself. It was a deck of cards. But it was the note that she thought was so beautiful. 'Time for a reshuffle?' was what it had said and the three were discussing how he knew what was planned. She could have told them, but she preferred not to.

The conversations died as a figure entered the room and walked up to the head of the long boardroom table.

"We are, as you know, planning a new approach in the attempts to recapture Jarod and return him to the Centre. This has, of course, now been extended to his father and the clone, both of whom can play important roles in the current situation. After a great deal of discussion, the Triumvirate has reached a decision. To ensure that the approaches used are completely new, a new figure will headline the search. For this reason, our newest member has been chosen to fill this position."

"But..." Stephanie didn't even need to turn around to know that it was Miss Parker who was objecting. Only Miss Parker would have been able to find the words at such a moment.

"Yes?" The man, his eyes cold, looked over at the woman.

"She knows nothing about the pursuit..."

"You are to fill her in on any details that she may have missed."

"And she doesn't know Jarod..."

"All the more reason. It is suspected that you are *all* becoming emotionally involved. As Stephanie has been brought into the Centre and has all of the natural abilities that seem to be perfect for such a position, it has been decided that she is to take it. She will make all decisions and she will be responsible for liaising with me about the progress. You will all take her orders and carry them out completely. The Triumvirate is intending that you all do so and you have all had experiences where this has not been the case. I'm sure none of you want a repeat performance of your last visit."

Stephanie watched as the tension in the room dissolved slightly when the figure left. She turned in time to see Lyle's eyes slide away from her face, as they often did. It was almost gratifying to her that it had only taken one lesson for him to learn. And he wouldn't be eager for her to remind him of yesterday's events.

"Congratulations." Stephanie turned in time to see a sneer flicker over Miss Parker's face as she leant across Broots and offered her hand. "May you have more luck than others of us have had."

"I thank you," Stephanie remembered to use the slightly stilted tones she had adopted for use at the Centre, although her accent was pure American at home. "I would ask you, Dr. Sydney and Mr. Broots to come to my office in half an hour so that we can discuss previous policies and see the best plans."

"How grateful even to get a look-in."

"You know Jarod. Perhaps a little too well to remain completely objective, but that is the reason for my employment in this field. With your help, I have no doubt that Jarod can be found and brought back."

"Well, I hope you don't fail..."

Stephanie made her eyes steely and saw the difficulty Miss Parker had in maintaining eye contact.

"I never fail, Miss Parker. Never."

#####

"So you wait until you get a sighting of Jarod, or one of your many connections reports a man with dark hair and a taste for black leather before you even do anything? Tell me something," having formerly been sitting in her chair with her hands clasped behind her head and her legs up on her desk, Stephanie sat upright and folded her hands together on top of the desk. "How many days out of an average year are you actually *out* of the Centre?"

She could see Broots nervously twitching in his chair and could sense the anger boiling up in Miss Parker. However the question had been directed at Sydney and she waited for him to answer it.

"With respect, Miss..."

"Stephanie."

"...Stephanie, Jarod is not exactly an easy man to find. His abilities at blending into a situation make this task more difficult than it would otherwise have been."

"But you, Doctor, have been face to face with your former subject on more than a dozen occasions over the four years since his escape and on none of those occasions have you made any attempt at preventing him from leaving. Tell me," she leaned back slightly, feeling that he was beginning to boil, "have you ever been taught the difference between proactive and reactive behaviour?"

"With all due respect, that is hardly fair."

"It is perfectly fair!" She slammed one fist down on the desk and watched out of the corner of her eye as Broots rose several inches in his chair. "With all of your resources and capabilities, you have been unable to find one man in four years. He has managed to remain in constant contact with all three of you over that time, even to the extent of being in your homes, and yet he is still on the loose and in the wild."

"Jarod is not an animal!" Stephanie watched as Sydney finally allowed the anger in him to explode at her and she got exactly the reaction she was waiting for.

"Well, that is what the Triumvirate considers him to be, and you three have failed in your efforts to recapture him." She sat back in the chair and looked hard at all three of them. "You, Mr Broots, will make me a comprehensive list of the places that Jarod has visited and what his occupation in those places was. I want it on my desk by nine o'clock Monday morning. You, Miss Parker with write me a detailed report on all 'presents', including the one you received this morning, and all significance of such items."

"How did you...?"

"It is my job to know. And you, Dr Sydney, will detail for me every sim that Jarod performed under your care and the respective dates. This, too, will be due on Monday."

"But that's..."

"Tuesday, then. With attitudes like this, it is no wonder that Jarod is still running around out there. You may go."

"But..."

"I said go. I have other people to interview and I cannot waste all morning discussing this with you."

Stevenson's Falls, Delaware
7pm May 12, 2000
"Hello? Anyone home?" She walked into the house and dropped her bags in the hallway as she went into the kitchen. On the table, where she could not miss it, was a note.

Sorry, I had to go. Business trip. The leftovers from last night's take-away are in the fridge and the kids are at your mom's. She's volunteered to look after them all night. Back tomorrow (hopefully).

Love Me.

Stephanie rolled her eyes and muttered something under her breath. She knew that he could be anywhere and that she might not see him for weeks. Out of habit, she allowed her gaze to wander over the bench and spotted the small piece of paper sticking out from under a book. One word, one name, but it told her enough and she leant back against the counter, giggling quietly. So he was taking a vacation. She shrugged slightly and returned the paper to where she had found it. He would come back. He always did. And then she could tell him.

It was a shame, though, that he wasn't there because she could have used his help in trying to understand some of the information which she had found that day, about a project named 'Mirage'. Other than knowing that Catherine Parker and Major Charles were both involved, she had little else to go on.

The Centre
Blue Cove, Delaware
9:30am May 15, 2000
Stephanie looked down at the red folders on her desk, all bearing the Centre logo, and was tempted to sweep the lot into the bin. She really didn't have the time or the inclination to go through everything that was sitting on her desk and, besides, she already knew it all. So, really, it was a waste of time and she had only ordered it so that they would feel included. She sighed and rubbed the back of her neck with one hand. She had been lonely all weekend, as he hadn't come back. And, she had to admit to herself, she was worried. Particularly since Miss Parker had failed to turn up for work that morning. Stephanie stood up and shrugged herself into her jacket, purposefully ignoring the folders, and left her office, slamming the door.

"Sydney?"

The aging psychiatrist looked up from the reports he was writing. No doubt more scientific experimentation, Stephanie reflected ruefully. "Yes?"

"For where was Miss Parker headed?"

"I have no idea." He smiled slightly and Stephanie thought that, whatever else had happened over the weekend, he was certainly happier than he had been. As she was considering a response, her cell-phone rang. She listened to the male voice on the end for a few seconds before hanging up.

"Mr Broots! Sam!"

The older man turned at the tone of her voice. "What? What is it?"

"Get your coat, Sydney. We are going to DC."

The Centre Jet
10:30am May 15, 2000
"What's this all about?"

Stephanie looked up from the paper which one of the sweepers had handed it to her and focused on Sydney's face.

"I received a call from the Tower. They believe that Jarod and Miss Parker will attempt to rescue one of Raines' projects - one, Doctor, about which I believe you are well informed and of which you failed to inform me." She eyed Sydney, who avoided her gaze. "It is fortunate for me that I have other ways of finding out information."

"And w...why isn't Lyle here - with us?"

Stephanie glanced over at Broots. "He is being... detained. The Tower has some things that they wish to discuss with both Mr Lyle and Mr Parker. I do not know when you will see them again, if ever. There are some parts of their behaviour which are of... concern to the Triumvirate."

Broots muttered something and Stephanie returned to reading the document. It detailed the finer points of the Mirage project, as well as some other points about its result - Ethan.

"Doctor, how do you believe Miss Parker would act if she found that her brother was in danger?"

"Who are you referring to?"

"Please, do not play games. You know that I do not speak of Mr Lyle."

"I believe...that she would make every effort to save him, even if it endangered her own life."

"And Jarod?"

"The same."

"As I thought."

Stephanie nodded and picked up the phone on the wall of the plane.

"How long until we land?"

"About ten minutes, ma'am."

"Good."

Stephanie pulled a plan of the subway out of her pocket and spread it on the table between the seats.

"Sam, will you come here?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"This is our aim - the subway. And this line, under Freedom Station, is where the bomb is intended to explode. I believe that Jarod, if he has time, will divert the train along this line, into the maintenance yard. There are two exits - here and here. Your team will divide up and guard these two entrances while you accompany the three of us into the tunnel itself, to deal with the things we may find there."

"Very good."

"We're going into a tunnel...with a bomb?"

Stephanie glanced over at Broots and there was a hint of a smile on her face. "Would you rather that Miss Parker was injured and we left her there?"

"Well...no...I guess..."

Stephanie folded up the map and placed it into the hand of the sweeper. "Please explain this to the rest of your team - and make sure that they maintain radio contact at all time with us." He turned away. "Oh, and Sam?"

"Yes, ma'am?"

"Ensure that at each exit you have a person skilled in first aid. If we have more than two casualties, the doctor and I may need assistance."

"Of course."

He turned to the back of the jet and Stephanie watched out of the corner of her eye as Sydney and Broots exchanged worried glances.

Entrance to Subway
Washington DC
10:55am May 15, 2000
Stephanie pulled her searchers lamp out of the bag that she carried on her back and strapped it to her helmet. The beam of light shone through into the darkness and she watched as Sam, Sydney and Broots followed suit. She knew exactly where the bomb was due to explode - the Triumvirate had passed that information on - but she had to feign a little lack of knowledge. It was too soon for them to know about her connections.

There was still approximately seven minutes until the bomb would actually go off and, in that time, the four of them would have a good chance of being in the best position. As the light behind them began to fade, she could feel Broots beginning to tense. After a short time, she halted and turned to the group, counting down the seconds in her mind. She had half-run for several minutes, and the light behind was completely gone, before she halted.

"We need to go along here. About fifty yards away is Freedom Station, where the bomb is intended to explode."

She led the group along the lines, stopping occasionally to feel the track. Once she felt a slight tremor but it was insufficient for a train traveling at the speed of the 7677. Finally, though, the rails began to vibrate violently. She ran forward and tucked herself behind the tunnel wall which led to the Freedom station and where the line branched off to the maintenance yard. She felt the three men follow her and she watched as the train hurtled past them, off the line leading to the Station and down the other, dark tunnel. Stephanie grabbed Broots, who cowered beside her, by the shoulder and jerked him around the wall of the tunnel and into the darkened path that led to the station. She watched as Sydney, having frozen at the sight, quickly glimpsed, of the three characters in the carriage, was pulled around by Sam. The four crouched low behind the protective wall and Stephanie counted down the remaining seconds in her mind. She just reached zero and suddenly the tunnel was full of a brilliant light, which blinded them all for several seconds. She ducked behind the brick wall as shrapnel flew through the air and she blinked as the wall in front of her was hit and a small piece of brick chipped off and then came the bittersweet taste of blood running down from her forehead. There was no time then, though, to worry about it and she and the others ran towards the source of the explosion.

The scene was frightening from the first. The train lay in a twisted heap, blocking the entrance to the tunnel. There was only one possible exit and that was a long way around, through a series of passages. She had to hope that they could manage, because there was no chance of anyone getting to them for some time. The maps with which the city supplied the emergency crews showed no way through to where they were except by the path that was now blocked by the wreck of the train. Stephanie cleared the thoughts from her mind and focused on the task ahead. The hope of finding anyone alive that close to the explosion was slim and they were all aware of the fact. She knew, too, that the small camera installed in her hard hat was showing the Triumvirate everything that she saw herself and the small earpiece meant that they could give her directions.

"Start looking under the piles of rubble. From the shrapnel we had, it is likely they will be buried."

She was about to turn away when Sydney grabbed her arm, and she knew, from the expression on his face, that he was contemplating the deaths of all three.

"Will they be alive?"

"We will not know until we find them, Doctor."

She emphasized the words and saw that the blunt expression worked towards calming him slightly. He nodded and turned back to his task.

After ten minutes, Stephanie had moved slightly away from the others and her light was hidden by a pile of rubble when she found what she was searching for. She pulled out a key and slipped it into the lock. One turn and the well-maintained door opened silently. A glimpse through it, using the light from her hat to illuminate what the failed electricity could not, showed her the blood marks that she was anticipating. Certainly one, if not two, people had slipped through this door and vanished.

"Who were they?" she heard the voice in her ear demand.

"Judging by the footprints, Jarod and Ethan."

"Sure?"

"As sure as I can be. Neither of these marks shows any sort of heel and the bare print here is too big for Miss Parker. She is presumably still in here."

"Then find her."

"We will, sir." Stephanie allowed the door to silently swing closed behind her as she stepped back into the tunnel. With her eyes, she followed the faint blood trail from the door and back across the ground. Two larger pools showed where they had fallen when jumping from the train and she wondered who had remained conscious enough to help the other out. Only a short distance away, she saw a hand projecting out from under some rubble.

"Sydney! Sam! Over here!"

The three men scrambled towards her but, at the sight of the hand, Broots went rapidly from pale to green and she shoved him away. "If you cannot deal with this, leave it to those who can." Reaching down, she slipped her fingers under the slab and nodded to Sam, who had done the same. "Ready? Up."

They lifted the slab, which, fortunately, was not preventing any other material from falling. Sydney grabbed Miss Parker by her wrists and hauled her out from under the perilous structure, which Sam and Stephanie released as soon as they could.

She was unconscious, Stephanie noticed, and there were several nasty cuts on her face but she was definitely alive and she came around very quickly.

"Parker?"

Stephanie watched as the other woman moaned and ran a tongue over her dusty lips. Taking a handkerchief from her pocket, Stephanie unclipped the water bottle from her hip-pouch and dampened the cloth before handing it to Sydney. The doctor gently wiped away the dust as Miss Parker's eyes fluttered open. She struggled to an upright position, despite Sydney's protests.

"What's going on?"

"There was a bomb on the train, Parker. Do you remember?"

"A...a bomb?" She closed her eyes briefly before opening them to reveal the panic in them. "But Jarod...Ethan...?"

"We...haven't found them yet, Parker." Sydney tried to disguise the worry in his voice.

"I hate to interrupt," Stephanie spoke up, "but a train is due to run on the adjacent line in about two minutes and it is probable that there will be more damage. Miss Parker, can you walk?"

In response, while the men were still shocked by Stephanie's statement, Miss Parker reached up and used the other woman's hand to pull herself to her feet. She swayed a little but steadied herself enough to be able to use Sam's shoulder as a support before looking at the pile of twisted metal in front of her.

"How do we get out?"

Stephanie led the way towards the concealed door and opened it. She stepped back to allow the others through but Sydney stopped beside her.

"What about Jarod and Ethan?"

Stephanie looked back into the tunnel wordlessly, as a noise from nearby indicated that the train she had predicted was passing. As the noise increased, a rain of concrete from the damaged ceiling of the tunnel began to fall and the two figures in the doorway flinched as the roof itself began to cave in.

"Sydney, we have to leave. This is not safe."

"But...Jarod..."

Stephanie put one hand on his shoulder. "I am sorry, Sydney. But there is nothing we can do now."
She placed one hand on his arm and, while shutting out the devastation, pulled him away from the door and up the first few stairs. Behind them, the destruction of the tunnel continued as the rescue crew arrived and began to try and access the train.

The Centre
Blue Cove, Delaware
12 noon May 15, 2000
Stephanie winced slightly and inhaled sharply as she dabbed at the cut on her head with a damp cloth and wiped away the blood. It was fortunate, she thought ruefully, that none of the others had been injured. Even Miss Parker had, miraculously, avoided any serious injury. Stephanie glanced at herself in the mirror briefly again before going into the bathroom attached to her office and wringing out the cloth. The bloodstains on her top, she knew, would wash out with a bit of cold water but she just wanted to make sure that it wouldn't bleed again so she put a small plaster over the cut and hoped for the best.

Coming out of the office, she saw a note on the table and the recognized the handwriting immediately. Take the rest of the day off. Well, that was nice of them and certainly something worth thinking about. She was in the middle of tossing the files from her desk into her bag when a knock at the door interrupted her.

"Come in."

"I'd like a word."

"Sydney - I was just about to go home."

"It won't take long."

"All right." She indicated a chair, hoping that someone from the Triumvirate was listening, whatever the outcome. "What can I do for you?"

She watched, somewhat warily, as he sat down in the chair with a slight sigh that betrayed his weariness. Then he scrutinized her closely. It was all she could do to prevent her glance from slipping away.

"They didn't make it out, did they?"

"I do not believe that they could have done."

"But if Miss Parker..."

"She was out before the second collapse, Sydney. As far as we know, Jarod and Mir...Ethan were still inside."

"How did you know what would happen on the train?"

"I did not. But I was told the small amount of information that Mr. Parker had learnt when he questioned Mr Raines, before his death."

"Raines...dead?"

"So I have been led to believe. It seems that Miss Parker..."

"Shot him?" Stephanie could almost see Sydney reeling at the thought.

"If you would let me finish," she smiled as Sydney reddened slightly. "No, it would seem that she was asking Mr Raines some questions when he was shot by the Chairman. At least, that is what the DSA records show."

"You have seen them already?"

"They were left on my desk for me to view, as an explanation as to why Mr Lyle will no longer be working with us. The Triumvirate apparently suspect that he and the Chairman were involved in a plan to wrest control away from the Triumvirate which, naturally, has made them rather upset."

"But...you knew...?"

"I knew some of what happened. Naturally, and following your answers to my questions, I assumed that Jarod and Miss Parker would both make some attempt to contact Ethan once they became aware of his location. This is not brain surgery, doctor. It is merely logical thinking."

Sydney glanced at her as her tones became increasingly sharper towards the end of her statement. "Are you all right?"

"I am fine. I will be a lot better when I can get home and relax a little. Chasing one man is a job I can handle but I do not enjoy dancing around a bomb. It was never part of my intended career."

Sydney smiled and stood up. "I can well believe it, but Jarod is a time-bomb waiting to go off, so perhaps it's better to have the practice now." He nodded and left the room. Stephanie had smiled in response to his statement but, as he left, the smile slipped from her face and left her wearing a worried expression.

Stevenson's Falls, Delaware
12:30pm May 15, 2000
Stephanie slipped the key out of the lock with a sigh and slammed the door behind her with her foot. In her arms, she carried a pile of red folders and, among them, lay one black one that she had found on the seat that Sydney had occupied during their brief discussion. Somehow, it wouldn't be impossible to guess what it contained, although where he had obtained it was anyone's guess. What astounded her more was that the Triumvirate had no knowledge about its contents and it had been left to her to uncover its secrets. Stephanie walked into her bedroom and dropped the lot onto her desk, sighing with relief as she did so. She could guess why they were leaving it to her. It made her the prime target for any sort of attempted assassination from anyone who may have been incriminated. But she already knew more than was good for her.

She walked into the kitchen and flicked on the electric kettle. The kids would be dropped off by their grandparents within the hour, as she had called them from the Centre before leaving. Apparently they had to wait for a cake to cool before they could leave, which suited Stephanie perfectly. It gave her the time that she needed to think about what had happened that morning. Until then, she hadn't really had time to absorb it, but now, as she waited for the kettle, the truth hit her. Two men, probably both injured, and on the run from the Centre. A potentially dangerous combination and she could make a good guess about where they would head for.

Two Faces
Part 2

Stevenson's Falls, Delaware
3pm May 15, 2000
Stephanie wiped the last of the chocolate icing from off the bench and stood back with a satisfied smile as she surveyed her clean kitchen. Less that twenty minutes earlier it had looked as though a bomb had hit it after her two children had finished icing they cake. Now they were both lying in little heaps on their beds, sleep having taken over them just after the cake had been put away, and she had finally managed to clean up the mess. A smile creased the corners of her mouth as she rinsed out the cloth and hung it over the tap. With a final sigh she glanced around the room and then picked up the phone as it rang.

"It's me. We're coming."

Before she could even open her mouth, the dial tone sounded in Stephanie's ear. Well, if anyone was tracing the call, they certainly wouldn't manage it that time. But we? Were they together then? Obviously he was all right, or he wouldn't have been able to speak to her. But they must have been injured in some way. It would be miraculous if they weren't both in desperate need of medical attention. Walking over to the cupboard, Stephanie bent down and picked up two plastic bowls, filling them with warm water and a splash of disinfectant.

She was turning back the bed in the guest-room when she heard the back door open and, going out of the room, she saw the two figures stumble into the house. Before either could speak, she held a finger to her lips and, taking some of the weight, ushered the two of them into the spare room.

"Jarod, what on earth is going on? How on earth did the two you escape?"

As she spoke, Stephanie picked up a cloth from beside the bowl and, soaking it, began to wipe the blood from Ethan's forehead.

As the man winced and tried to move away, she placed a hand on his and looked into his eyes. "Ethan, it's all right. I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to help you. Do you believe me?"

He looked at her out of large blue eyes, but gave no reply. She wiped the last of the blood away and then looked up at Jarod, who hadn’t replied to her questions, seeing the dirt smearing his face and the weariness in his eyes.

"Well?"

"How...did you know about Ethan?"

"I found some files just after you left for your vacation with Zoe." As she turned her head, her hair moved aside and he saw the small bandage on her forehead. He grabbed her hand and gently turned her head to get a better look.

"What happened?"

"Don't be silly," she grinned at him as she turned away and picked up another cloth from the pile. "Did you think we'd leave you in that tunnel on your own? The Triumvirate ordered me to take Sydney and the others in there to try and retrieve you all. So we did."

"And?"

"And what? We found Miss Parker but we had to leave before we could really look for the two of you. Of course, having inside information meant that I could see the way you two had gone. Not that the others know that."

"And...Miss Parker?"

"She's fine. Somehow. Oh, she was knocked out, of course. But otherwise there's only a few bumps and bruises."

"But...you...?" He reached out and gently touched the small plaster.

"It's fine, Jarod. I just didn't duck down behind the wall far enough and a bit of shrapnel hit me. I'm more worried about you two." She turned back to Ethan. "Will you let me have a look, Ethan? I'll try not to hurt you, I promise."

She watched as the two brothers looked at each other and waited as Ethan spoke. "Is it...?"

Jarod smiled. "What does Catherine say?"

Stephanie raised an eyebrow slightly and glanced at Jarod. He ignored her and kept looking at Ethan, who finally looked at Stephanie and nodded. She smiled and, deciding to wait and clarify everything later, moved over to the younger man and gently dried the wound with a soft cloth.

#####

"Okay, now you're going to tell me what's going on?"

Stephanie applied the last strip of sticking plaster to Jarod's forehead and sat in a chair opposite him at the kitchen table.

"First of all, how are the kids?"

"Fine. Asleep, I hope. But you didn't answer my question."

"Before I start talking, I want to know what you know. There's no point in me telling you things if you know them already."

Stephanie sighed and grinned at him. "Okay. The day that you went off to spend time with Zoe, I found a file about Mirage. The Triumvirate passed on all the information that they forced out of Mr Parker, when they were questioning him."

"Why didn't they ask Raines? It's his project."

"Jarod - he's dead."

"What?"

"Miss Parker was..."

"Miss Parker shot him?"

Stephanie grinned. "You and Sydney both! No, she was questioning him about Ethan, and he was about to let some things slip when Mr. Parker shot him, from point blank range. As far as any of us know, he's definitely dead." She giggled. “Not that that seems to be worrying too many people.”

"And Mr. Parker?"

"He and Lyle are being questioned by the Triumvirate for their involvement in an attempted coup. The last I heard, Lyle was being brought in front of a T-Board. I would have stayed around to help, but the Triumvirate sent me home to recover."

"How much do they know?"

"Oh, everything. They just want to watch them sweat blood before they reveal all of the facts. I don't think either of them will have much to do with the higher ranks of the Centre for some time."

"And...Parker?"

"She's fine. A few cuts and scratches, of course, and she might take a few hours to get over the concussion, but otherwise she's okay."

Jarod suddenly bit his bottom lip and stared at her. "As far as the others knew, we didn't get out. So Sydney thinks we're..."

Stephanie reached out and covered his hands with her own. "Jarod, I had to tell him the logical thing. Believe me, considering the situation, it made sense for you to have been killed in that explosion. Almost as soon as we found Parker, another train went past. The tunnel..."

"...collapsed." Jarod's face and voice were grim.

"And, as far as Sydney knows, you and Ethan were trapped in it."

"And is he...?"

"He hasn't had a chance to deal with the fact yet. When we talked, later, he kept shifting between times, from you being alive to the other possibility. I believe it will take him some time to get used to it. I'm a little worried about what he might do when that happens."

Jarod pushed his chair back in preparation for standing. "Then I should call him, tell him I'm okay." He stood up and nearly collapsed. Fortunately, Stephanie had been waiting for such an occurrence and she was quickly beside him.

"You are doing nothing except going to bed. After carrying Ethan all this way, you aren't fit for anything. Now don't argue," she interjected as she saw Jarod's mouth open. "You're going to bed and that's the end of it."

"Yes, mommy."

A perfect imitation of her son's voice.

Stephanie giggled quietly as she supported him along the hall and into his room. She helped him to sit down on the single bed and moved across to shut the curtains. "And now," she turned around and was about to continue when she saw that he was already lying down with his eyes closed. She choked back a giggle as she pulled the covers over him and, turning, left the room. Had she looked back, she would have seen Jarod cautiously open his eyes and roll over onto his back, silently easing his cell phone out of his jacket pocket.

She walked down the hall and into the living room. On the floor, near where the two had entered, lay a scrap of paper. Picking up it, she read the address that was printed on it, but noises in another part of the house told her that she had no time to try and work out its meaning. Within a few moments, her children appeared in the room.

"Mommy, can we have some cake?"

"Not yet, Clare. We'll wait for a few hours, and then maybe Daddy can eat with us."

"He's here?" Clare was about to run down the hall when Stephanie put out an arm and held her back.

"You can see him after he's had a sleep."

"Is he tired again?"

"Yes. So we need to let him rest, okay?"

"Okay." The little girl turned a hopeful look up to her mother. "Can we go play on the trampoline?"

"We? You mean you, don't you? You know that Jeremy is too young."

"But sometimes..."

"Only when I'm going to be out there with you, and right now I have things to do."

"Really?"

"Really. Now, off you go. I'll call you to come in and see Daddy."

As the little girl waltzed out of the house, Stephanie turned to see Ethan walk out of the guest room. Her son immediately hid his face in her neck as she picked him up.

"I'm sorry. He's awfully shy. Hey, Jeremy. This is a person who knows Daddy."

"Daddy?"

"That's right?"

The little boy turned to the startled young man. "Wat's oor name?"

Stephanie smiled and nodded encouragingly as Ethan glanced at her.

"I...I'm Ethan."

"Hello." The little boy smiled and then squirmed until Stephanie put him down with a sigh of relief.

"He's very energetic, even for a two-year-old."

Ethan slipped onto one of the high stools and rested his arms on the bench. "He doesn't look much like Jarod."

Stephanie stared at him for a moment in mild confusion, before bursting into peals of laughter. "You thought that we...well, I suppose it could have seemed a little like it. No, Ethan, we aren't married. This was my husband." She handed Ethan a framed photo showing a man whose resemblance to the small boy was unmistakable.

"Was?"

Stephanie took back the picture and gazed at it for a few seconds before restoring it to its place on the bench. "David...my late husband...was killed in a car crash a little over two years ago, before Jeremy was born. Jarod was working at the crèche where Clare, that's my daughter, she's playing in the back yard, where Clare goes. For a few months, after David died, Jarod used to bring Clare home and sometimes do some shopping for me. Jeremy always called Jarod 'Daddy', and it seemed to make Clare feel better to do it as well. Then, one day, Clare said that mommies and daddies should always live together, so I offered to let him stay here when he was in the area. He'd already told me what he did, you see, so that I wouldn't worry about leaving Clare with him. Being so close to Blue Cove, it also lets him keep a close eye on the Centre."

"And…you work there?"

"At the moment, yes." She glanced up as Ethan began to shift awkwardly in his seat. "Now, don't worry. Jarod would never have brought you here if he didn't trust me. What does Catherine say about me?"

"She says...I should trust you too."

"And what do you say?"

"I..." He looked away and then looked back with a determined and hopeful expression in his eyes. "I want to trust you."

She leaned across and put her hands on his. "Then try, Ethan. I don't expect you to do it at once, but please try."

He looked up into her eyes and seemed suddenly overwhelmed by emotion.

"What..." he said with difficulty. "What do you do there?"

#####

Stephanie was finishing her discussion with Ethan when the back door of the house opened and a little girl stuck her head inside.

"Can I come in yet?"

Stephanie glanced at the clock. "Oh, my goodness! In all this discussion, I forgot about the time. Did you bring Sam with you?"

"Sam?" Ethan looked startled. "I thought your son was called Jeremy."

The little girl giggled and skipped into the room. "No, silly. That's Sam." She pointed to the doorway, where a small black head was poking itself inquiringly into the room.

"Clare! That's not a nice thing to say."

The little girl dropped her head and muttered an apology before shuffling out of the room.

"Where are you going, Clare?"

"To see if Daddy's awake."

"No, you're not. Come back out here and meet a person that Daddy knows."

The girl turned and came back into the room. She came over and stood beside Stephanie.

"Clare, this is Ethan. Ethan, this is my daughter."

"Hello." The child stuck out her hand and, hesitatingly, Ethan shook it.

"Okay, Clare. You can put on your new video if you want."

The girl ran through an archway and into another room, where sounds could soon be heard. Meanwhile Stephanie picked up the scrap of paper from the bench and held it out to Ethan.

"Do you know what this is?"

He took it and read it, turning it over to see what was on the back. "I don't know. The address is not far from where I lived. It's a convent. The Sisters of St Catherine Church."

Stephanie took back the scrap of paper and, leaning against the bench, contemplated it as though it contained all of the answers she needed. Ethan half-smiled at her. "What are you thinking?"

"Wondering what is so important to Jarod that he would hide it here. Tell me," she turned to Ethan, "how did Jarod know about you?"

"I don't...oh. I think...Emily."

"Your sister?"

"Mmm-hmm."

Stephanie walked around to her computer and opened it. Within seconds she had the article about the attempted murder up on screen. Then she picked up the phone.

Sisters of St Catherine Church
5pm May 15, 2000
"Well?" the white-haired man demanded as he looked up from his position beside the bed as one of the nuns entered the room.

"There's a person looking for you, Major. Or for Emily. He goes by the name of Ethan."

"Ethan!" Emily's eyes shone and she tried to sit up but her father prevented her.

"We don't know whether it's really him. It could be the Centre."

"But it could really be Ethan! What if it is, and we miss the chance to see him?"

"What if it isn't, and we end up dead or at the Centre?"

The girl rested her head back on the pillow and looked up at her father.

"Dad, please. It could be Ethan and Jarod!"

The Major shook his head. "Definitely not. We're leaving here today."

"But Dad..."

Stevenson's Falls, Delaware
5:15pm May 15, 2000
"It's no good. They told me that they weren't there," the man said in a disappointed voice.

"Which is, presumably, not true." Stephanie folded her hands on the table in front of her.

"Beside the point. They'll leave today."

"Not if we can get there first."

Ethan stared at her. "And how would we do that?"

She grinned. "It's perfectly simple. In a Centre jet, we could get there in no time."

"And how are we supposed to get a Centre jet?"

She laughed. "Very easy, Ethan. I ask for one."

The grin vanished as she felt the hand on her shoulder and turned to look up into Jarod's dark, glittering eyes.

The Centre Jet
5.30pm May 15, 2000
"How long until we land in Philadelphia, Mike?"

"About half an hour."

"And did you file the false flight plan?"

"Uh huh. According to it, we're going to North Dakota."

"And did you disable the tracking device?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"And you do realize the consequences of telling anyone about this?"

The pilot looked at her out of the corner of his eye. Having trained with her, Mike was fully aware of what could happen. There was, therefore, some apprehension in his eyes. "Yes, ma'am. You know you can trust me."

"Good."

Stephanie stood up and left the cockpit, heading into the body of the jet.

"Where are we going to land?"

"There's an airstrip about five minutes away from the convent. We'll land there and get to our destination before they can leave."

Jarod eyed Stephanie. "I hope this works."

She looked down at him from where she stood. "It will."

Sisters of St Catherine Church
5:45pm May 15, 2000
"Are you ready, Major?"

"Almost." He turned to Emily, whose red eyes showed the depth of her emotion at missing a possible meeting with her brother.

"Dad, can I have a drink?"

"Sure." He slid one arm under her shoulders and was about to lift her when she gasped and then her head fell back. "Emily? Emily!" He put her back onto the pillow and shook her, gently at first and then harder. "Emily, come on. Open your eyes. Talk to me."

The Centre Jet
5:55pm May 15, 2000
"Preparing for landing, Mike."

"Landing in thirty seconds."

Stephanie ensured that her seatbelt was secure and settled back, her hands gripping the arms of the chair. It wasn't that she was a nervous flyer. It was that she hated the thought that Jarod and Ethan's family might have slipped away while they were in the air.

"Perfect landing."

"Good. Let's get out of here."

The three of them hurriedly exited the plane and got into a car that was waiting for them.

Sisters of St Catherine Church
6pm May 15, 2000
The girl slowly opened her eyes and focused on the almost frantic expression of her father. "What happened?"

"I don't know. I suppose that me lifting you caused you to faint." He turned away to pick up a damp rag from beside the bed and thus missed the mischievous expression that fluttered across the girl's face. When he turned back, she was again looking slightly confused and somewhat pale.

"Are we...leaving soon?"

"As soon as you're ready."

Emily's lips moved but she made no sound as her eyelids gradually closed. Her father stood back from the bed and watched her.

Sisters of St Catherine Church
6:02pm May 15, 2000
"Hello, Sister Joan."

The elderly nun looked up and then jumped up, running around the desk to embrace the slender female. "My goodness! Stephanie, my dear! Oh, how wonderful to see you again. I can't believe it, after so long!"

"I know." Her face broke into a wide grin. "But this time I'm here on business, I suppose you might call it. I'm planning to reunite a family."

"But...who...Not your own?"

The woman laughed. "No, definitely not. These two men," she turned and beckoned. Then Jarod and Ethan stepped out of the shadows. The nun hurried forward.

"Jarod. I'm so glad to see you. And who is this?"

The Pretender smiled. "This is my brother, Ethan. I want him to meet his father and sister."

The nun, by now, was smiling so widely that Stephanie secretly wondered whether her wimple would stay on.

"You're in luck, all of you. They were about to leave but a small relapse has delayed it."

"Relapse? Jarod's face became immediately concerned.

"It was nothing serious. Just a small faint. She's recovering well, and it was nothing more than could be expected."

"Sister, I'm sure that Jarod would like to see his sister himself, to assure him of that fact. Would it be possible for you to take them there?"

Ethan glanced over. "Aren't you coming?"

"And ruin a family reunion? Never. No, you two go. Sister Joan and I have a lot to catch up on." Stephanie watched them leave and was about to sit down when her phone rang.

#####

Major Charles brushed the hair away from his daughter's face and watched her as she slept. Then he rose and, picking up an empty glass, walked towards the door. As he was about to open it, the knob turned in his hand and the door came towards him, nearly knocking him back into the room. He looked up, fear evident in his eyes, at the nun whose figure filled the doorframe.

"I'm sorry, Major. I didn't mean to startle you. There are two men here who want to see you."

"Two men?" The voice from the bed startled both occupants of the room.

"Yes. Two." The nun smiled and stood to one side of the doorway, revealing the two figures standing behind her. Then she smiled again and moved back through the doorway closing it behind her.

Sisters of St Catherine Church
6:05pm May 15, 2000
"Yes, sir... No, I quite understand... Of course... Yes, they're all here... No, that's unnecessary... Actually, sir, I already started to explain that on the way over here, in the jet... No, sir, that's fine... Of course. I'll see you then... No, that's fine. I'll tell Miss Parker myself... Goodbye."

"Business?"

Stephanie looked up from the pad of paper, where she was jotting down a few notes, to find the nun standing beside her.

"Unfortunately."

"You're not enjoying your work?"

"Not at the moment I'm afraid, Sister. It's never good to destroy people's dreams, but sometimes..."

"Sometimes it has to be done. Stephanie, I know you'll find the inner strength to do it. I have faith in you."

The other woman smiled. "I wish I had so much faith in myself."

"If it is for the best and if you ask, He will help you."

"He has always helped me, Sister. And this time is no exception."

The Centre
Blue Cove, Delaware
10pm May 15, 2000
Stephanie glanced at the small screen showing the woman lying on the bed in the infirmary. The Triumvirate had insisted that she be put there for a time, but her time off was about to be ended in the most unpleasant way. Stephanie whispered a small prayer under her breath and, watched as Broots entered the room. Carefully, she watched his every move on the screen.

"What is it, Broots?" Miss Parker looked up from the discussion that she and Sydney were having and glared at the nervous technician.

"I...It's Jarod!"

"He's alive?" the woman exclaimed.

"More than that! He's here! Back at the Centre!"

"What?!" Miss Parker threw back the blankets, preparing to get out of bed, as Sydney stared in shock.

"And...and not only that. Also Ethan, and Major Charles and Emily. They were lured into a trap and brought back an hour ago!"

As he finished speaking, Stephanie pushed open the door to the room and strode in. She was carrying three folders.

"Miss Parker, tomorrow morning at nine o'clock precisely, you will report in the Corporate sector for your new position there. Doctor, you will be at the laboratory in SL-14 and you, Mr Broots, will show yourself at the Tech Room on SL-5, also at 9am. Here are your orders for assignments to be completed at those times. There will a meeting for the former pursuit team," Stephanie watched Miss Parker wince at the term 'former', "at midday tomorrow. You are all expected to attend."

Stephanie pushed the folders into the hands on the men and dropped the other onto the bed and then turned on her heel and prepared to leave the room, but a comment stopped her.

"I congratulate you, Stephanie, on achieving the impossible."

Stephanie turned and fixed her gaze firmly on her ex-rival, who maintained eye contact only with difficulty. "As I told you on Friday, Miss Parker, *I* never fail. The Triumvirate, however, has, I understand, some comments to make on *your* ability." Turning on her heel, Stephanie left the room.

Once outside, she resumed her post at the monitor and watched as the three picked up the folders and skimmed through the contents. Miss Parker was the first to react. The folder ended up on the floor, its contents scattered around.

"I don't believe it. It's a ploy to get rid of us."

She looked from Broots, who still looked pale, to Sydney who seemed distracted. "What is it? Syd? Sydney! What's wrong?"

"It's true." Sydney's voice was hollow and his face was even paler than Broots'.

"What's true?" Miss Parker's voice held a tone of nastiness, but it wasn't enough to break through Sydney's mood.

"About Jarod. He's here - at the Centre."

"Prove it." Miss Parker's voice held a sense of healthy skepticism, until Sydney showed her the photograph he was holding. She took it, glanced at it and then let it drop on the bed.

Stephanie turned away from the screen with a small smile on her face. At the same moment, her cell phone rang.

"It is working," she announced.

"So we have just witnessed. Have you explained everything?"

"I believe so, sir. And we now have fourteen hours in which to make sure that everything goes according to plan."

"Oh, it will, Miss Stephanie. Be very assured that it will."

"One more thing, sir. I would like your permission to examined the room tomorrow before we hold the interview."

"For what purpose?"

"Just to guarantee that it will suit my purpose, sir."

"And that is?"

Stephanie laughed. "Why, sir, have you forgotten? Entertainment, sir. Pure entertainment."

Stevenson's Falls, Delaware
11:35pm May 15, 2000
Stephanie lowered herself onto her bed with a sigh and a small groan. Her head was finally beginning to remember that it had been struck by a flying piece of brick almost twelve hours earlier and she wished it would stop reminding her. She had far more important things to think about. She picked up the black folder and was about to continue reading its contents when a knock at the door startled her.

"Come in."

She smiled as Jarod's head poked itself around the doorway.

"I thought you were asleep."

To Stephanie's surprise, Jarod reddened slightly. "What, just now?"

"Well, when else? I was under the distinct impression that, after we all came back from the Centre, you went into your room and went to sleep."

"That was a very correct assumption." He walked in and sat on her bed. "But now it's wrong."

She shrugged and slipped the papers back into the folder. "At least I was right for a while. Where's everyone else?"

"Ethan and Emily are asleep in Clare and Jeremy's rooms, respectively, and Dad is in the guest room."

"Asleep too?"

"I'm not sure. The light's on but I do have a vague memory of him falling asleep with it on before, so that might be it." He looked closely at her. "I have a feeling that they aren't the only ones who should be getting some rest. You look like death warmed up."

"It's so nice to have friends," retorted Stephanie in a somewhat sharp tone.

He grinned and she couldn't help grinning back. "So what are you doing?"

"Talking to a person who thinks he's clever."

"Oh, very funny."

"I was serious."

"So was I."

"Okay, I was reading these files that Sydney left in my office this afternoon. Good enough for you?"

"And what do they say?"

"Well," she turned a look on Jarod that, grown man as he was, suddenly made him feel about eight years old again, "considering that I'd read of all of about two words, it's probably a little early to tell, wouldn't you say? But I'll keep you informed," she added, kindly and picked up the papers with a sigh. Then, with an even bigger sigh, she put them down again. "What is it, Jarod?"

"Is this plan of yours going to work?"

"How many times have we been through this?" She rolled her eyes towards the ceiling. It was true, she thought, that it was possibly a little harsh considering what he'd been through that day but, to hell with it, she'd had a bad day as well and now she was going to make sure he knew about it.

"Look, Stephanie, I know you've had a bad day..."

She blinked at him in surprise.

"...But none of us are too keen about being back at the Centre."

She sighed again. "Look, surely the fact that no-one stopped you from leaving earlier today must show you that I wasn't lying."

He looked at her somewhat skeptically. She wasn't really surprised.

"You've always trusted me before. Why change now?"

He moved up further on the bed until he was sitting next to her. Reaching out, he put his hand on hers. "You know that it's not you that I don't trust. It's them. How can I be expected to trust the Triumvirate?"

She touched the side of his face gently with her hand. "You aren't. And, considering the past, I wouldn't expect your family to either. All I ask is that you trust me."

He stood up and headed for the door. Suddenly he turned back. "And what makes you think that *you* can trust them?"

She smiled. "Believe me, with what I know about them, it's more of a case of them having to trust me."

He looked at her one last time before leaving the room. She sighed again and picked up the papers. Glancing at the clock, she rolled her eyes again. Great. Six and a half hours before she had to be at the Centre, so that she could get them all back before anyone in a position to do anything about it found that they weren't there. And then she had to check that anyone who wasn't in a position to do anything about it hadn't told someone in a position to do something about it that they weren't there. And then she had to convince the aforementioned person in the position not to do anything about it that they shouldn't tell the aforementioned person in the position to do something about it that they weren't there. Or something.

Stevenson's Falls, Delaware
6am May 16, 2000
Stephanie rolled over as the alarm clock jangled loudly in her ear and tried to pretend that it didn't exist. She couldn't. Instead she sat up and glared at it for a few minutes before deciding that her headache might ease slightly if she turned it off. So she did. It didn't help. Her head still felt that someone had thrown a brick at it and, considering the activities of the previous twenty-four hours, that was probably justified. She was about to lie down again and try to go back to sleep when several other activities of the past twenty-four hours waltzed their way into her brain and she realized that she probably needed to do something about them, and drinking to forget them was probably something she should have done the night before. Oh well, too late now.

She dragged herself out of bed and into her adjoining bathroom. She nearly fell asleep three times in the shower, until she finally got out in case she did fall asleep and accidentally drowned. Then she walked, slightly more awake, back into the bedroom and got into the dress that she'd had the foresight to put out for herself and tied back her hair. Lastly, she attached a small bunch of artificial flowers to her dress and left the room.

"Good morning." The voice sounded far too cheerful and she responded with a glare, but it didn't deter Jarod. He came and slipped an arm around her shoulder.

"What happened to you? Last night you were ready to commit murder, arson and any other crime I can come up with and this morning you look as though you just spent a cheerful afternoon in a hot tub with Zoe." She watched as he turned and stared at her.

"How did you know?"

"Know what?"

"About Zoe?"

"It was a lucky guess, Jarod." She grinned and headed for the kitchen. "Now, is that coffee I can smell? I think we're all going to need a few good strong cups to deal with the day today!"

Lab on SL-14
The Centre
Blue Cove, Delaware
9:17am May 16, 2000
Stephanie stalked into the room and sat down on a convenient chair, with her legs crossed and arms folded, and waited. It took three minutes until the door opened and the face of the doctor appeared on the threshold. He hesitated when he saw the occupant of the room and then marched resolutely across and put his bag on the desk before he met her eyes.

"You, Doctor, were given explicit directions. They did not involve being twenty minutes late for work this morning, regardless of what may have happened yesterday."

He looked at her briefly before extracting a folder from his bag. "I'm sorry. I had car trouble."

She got up from the chair and made her way over to him. "It would be advisable, Doctor, if you wish the Triumvirate to have any sympathy for your predicament at all, to try and work with them instead of against them. You are, I may as well warn you, unpopular enough with them as it is."

Stephanie had reached the door before Sydney spoke.

"How is Jarod?"

"The condition of Red File number 2 is no longer your concern. You are to focus on the tasks you have been given. Any attempt you make to contact him will result in punishments being inflicted on both of you. The patience of the Triumvirate has worn thin over the last four years, Doctor." She closed her mouth and stalked out of the room.

Tech Room, SL-5
9:24am May 16, 2000
Stephanie walked into the room and placed a heavy hand on the shoulder of the man seated on front of one of the computers. She then had the satisfaction of feeling his squirm at her touch as he realized her identity.

"You, Mr Broots, were late."

"I...I'm sorry. I was - "

"No excuses, Mr Broots. The Triumvirate has heard every one. Now, you, Miss Parker and Doctor Sydney may have been discussing the latest developments but there is a time for that. It's called lunch hour. In the meantime, I'm sure you have a lot of work to do. The Triumvirate wants a full report on everything that Jarod could have done which may have affected the mainframe. Get onto it, Mr Broots." She took her hand off his shoulder and, turning on her heel, left the room.

Corporate, Level 2
The Centre
Blue Cove, Delaware
9:35am May 16, 2000
"I was informed, Miss Parker, that you arrived late to take up your position this morning. If this activity continues, I shall be forced to make a report to the Triumvirate."

The woman and turned stared as Stephanie announced her arrival thus. "You have no jurisdiction over people within Corporate."

Stephanie smiled grimly. "On the contrary, Miss Parker. Your lack of success in the capture of Jarod has suggested to them that perhaps you do not have the best interests of the Centre at heart. For this reason, the three of you are to continue under my supervision until you have proven your loyalty. Is that understood?"

Miss Parker turned and glared fiercely at her but the other woman simply waited until Miss Parker ceased her expression and then turned to leave the room.

"I will see you at midday. You do remember about that meeting, don't you Miss Parker? It is very important that you attend. Your whole future may depend on it."

Stephanie left the room without seeing the expression on Miss Parker's face as she turned and watched the other woman leave the office.

SL-17
The Centre
Blue Cove, Delaware
11:15am
The three men sat in their cell, their shoulders slumped and faces drawn. They had not slept since their arrest, being too afraid of what the others would do under those circumstances. Also, they had spent most of their time, in between interrogations, arguing about who was to blame for their current situation. Stephanie watched them on the screen for a few moments before entering the cell, accompanied by several sweepers. The prisoners leapt to their feet, but she knew it was out of eagerness to leave and not respect for the position she held.

"What do you want?"

"I am here to remind you of the meeting at midday today. You will need to be well dressed and neatly presented. For this reason, each of you, accompanied by two sweepers, will be taken to the bath and shower facilities and presented with a clean set of clothes."

"And if we refuse?" Stephanie looked at Lyle, who had been arrogant enough to make the statement,

"Then you will come as you are. I don't suppose that it will enhance the Triumvirate's opinions of any of you but, as they are not particularly high at the moment, that probably won't trouble them. It may, however, exacerbate the circumstances in which you may find yourselves in the future. Any other questions?"

"What will happen to our projects?"

Stephanie glanced at Mr Cox. "Your central project has been removed from your care and placed in mine. Your other projects will, no doubt, be assigned to people who, it is felt, will endeavor to complete them."

She turned and walked back to the door, leaving the sweepers in the room with the prisoners but spoke once before she left. "I shall see you all at midday."

Two Faces
Part 3

The Triumvirate Offices, SL-9
The Centre
Blue Cove, Delaware
11:45am May 16, 2000
"I'm impressed, Miss Stephanie. To deduce so much information from so little actual data is quite a feat."

Stephanie bowed her head. "Thank-you, sir. Having learnt so much of the Centre's projects already, it was not particularly difficult to understand the connections within these documents, despite the fact that they, as you say, contain little in the way of data." She studied to the pattern of the table again. "If I may be so bold, sir, might I enquire as to your intended punishment for the people you are going to question this afternoon?"

"That is a point on which we are not yet decided." The deep growl of another member of the organisation drew Stephanie's attention briefly away from the original speaker. "However, we will be requiring your input, so be aware of this fact."

"Of course, sir. I understand."

"Will there be anything else?"

"I was wondering, sir, the best method of using this information to gain the best results." She indicated, with a wave of her hand, the documents which were spread out on the table in front of her.

"We have not told them that we have any of it."

"That, sir," she responded, laughingly, "was because you did not *have* any of it until this morning."

He grinned at her and showed a mouthful of white teeth, in much the same manner, Stephanie was forced to reflect, as the wolf had probably shown before eating Little Red Riding Hood. "We shall," he commented airly, "be following your lead. You, as you requested, will be in charge of the interrogation. It is for this reason that you were given transcripts of the three T-Board investigations that were carried out yesterday."

"Yes, sir. I suspected as much. And, if I may ask, where will you be?"

"Behind the one-way mirror. I understand that you checked through the rooms yesterday afternoon."

"Yes, sir. They are all prepared."

"Good, good. Go down to SL-19. You may have the honour of bringing your prisoners up to their section of the room."

Stephanie stood. "Thank-you, sir. You are most kind. I will see you all shortly."

The third man, who had thus far remained silent, now spoke. "I guarantee, Miss Stephanie, that we will see you first."

She smiled conspiratorially. "I have no doubt, sir."

SL-19
The Centre
Blue Cove, Delaware
11:57am May 16, 2000
"Are you ready?"

"As I'll ever be." Jarod put one hand on Stephanie's shoulder and turned her to face him with a small smile on his face. "Are you sure this is going to work?"

"As I'll ever be." She grinned at him. "Now, for goodness sake, try to remember that *you* are the prisoner. That means, no smart-ass remarks, no rudeness and no jibes." She turned and faced him. "Miss Parker is going to be pretty smug about this whole situation. So, for the moment, just let her be. Things will change later."

He looked sober for a moment. "Okay, I understand."

"Oh, and Sydney’s been concerned about your welfare. Just try and make sure that those bruises stay realistic. Just... just pretend that you were beaten up. I'm sure you can manage that, can't you?"

"What, pretend to be someone else?" He grinned. "I suppose I could try."

She found it hard not to grin back but, instead, snapped the cuffs she had brought onto his wrists. Opening the door, she led him out to where a small group, complemented by a number of sweepers, waited for her. At the signal, the group began to make its way along the corridor.

SL-25
The Centre
Blue Cove, Delaware
12:03pm May 16, 2000
Miss Parker drummed her fingers on the tabletop and glared around the room. It was well structured. She, Sydney and Broots sat along one wall of the table and, running on a forty-five degree angle to them was another table, along which sat her father, her twin brother and Mr Cox. Facing her was a barred area that contained a long wooden bench and a similarly made table. Facing her father and the others was a long wall that contained a mirror, but Miss Parker was not deceived. Doubtless the Triumvirate would be in attendance behind that wall, watching every stage of the meeting. Miss Parker wondered briefly who would be conducting the meeting and hoped that it would not be Stephanie.

Her thoughts were broken by the opening of a door within the barred section of the room and she watched, a smirk growing on her face, as the four figures walked slowly into the room, surrounded by a group of sweepers. Obviously, thought Miss Parker to herself, no one was taking any chances. She saw another figure walk through the door before it was closed and her glare resettled on her face as she recognised the woman who walked to the gate in the bars, unlocked it and, passing through, locked it behind her.

Going to the desk in the middle of the room, Stephanie picked up a bundle of papers and, sitting down, began to flick through it. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched as Miss Parker got up from her chair and, accompanied by Sydney, wandered over to the cage.

"Well, well, well. How the mighty have fallen."

Jarod glared at her from under lowered eyelids and muttered something incomprehensible, always with one arm pressed tightly to his chest. He also coughed, a deep rumbling sound that made him groan and Sydney jump.

"Are you all right, Jarod? What did they do?"

Miss Parker turned on the psychiatrist with a look of scorn. "What does it look like? Obviously Wonder Boy put up a fight and this was the only way they could drag him back."

Sydney eyed her with a look that was less than friendly. "Perhaps he was trying to protect his family." Sydney ran his eye along the row of people, stopping briefly at the pale young woman who still wore a bandage on her head and leant against her father for support. "I know that Jarod, at least, has a very solid idea of responsibility to family."

Miss Parker was about to glare at him when a cold voice from the other side of the room stopped her.

"If everyone will sit down, we will begin."

The Triumvirate Offices, SL-9
The Centre
Blue Cove, Delaware
12:16am May 16, 2000
"For my own information, Miss Parker, would you please remind us all what occurred on your previous visit to the Triumvirate?"

The other woman remained perversely silent and the seconds dragged. Sydney, sitting on the other side of Broots, glanced warily from Miss Parker to Stephanie, who stood and waited for an answer. He didn't comment, but he thought all the more and wondered to which occasion Stephanie was referring. He knew of no circumstance under which they had been called to account to the Triumvirate but it was obvious to him from Miss Parker's reaction that she knew otherwise. Stephanie kept an eye fixed on the subject of her question but glanced along the row of men. Perspiration rolled down Broots' face and Sydney looked strained but she had no idea of comforting them. Knowing that Sydney was more worried about Jarod than Miss Parker, Stephanie glanced surreptitiously over her shoulder at the silent group of prisoners. Well, she thought silently, he would have even more reason for concern soon. But, for now, finding them to be as well as could be expected, she looked back and fixed her gaze on Miss Parker, visually demanding an answer. Finally, Miss Parker gave out.

"They - threatened to use electro-shock treatment on us."

Stephanie watched as the eyes of all in the room widened but she herself refused to permit any expression to cross her face.

"And would you please inform us all for what purpose this threat was applied?"

Stephanie watched the woman closely and saw that, despite the outward demeanour, she was nervous about the answer that both women knew were coming. Miss Parker's mouth formed itself into a straight and determined line and, after some moments of silence, it became obvious to all concerned that she was not going to answer without some other form of enticement. Stephanie nodded and a figure at the back of the room stepped forward. Before Miss Parker could see who it was, however, she felt the cold steel of a gun barrel in the nape of her neck.

"If you do not tell us, Miss Parker, it may be the last refusal you are ever permitted to make."

Stephanie heard two gasps from the men seated on the same table as her female adversary and she turned quick glances to them. Sydney's eyes no longer wandered to the people in the barred section of the room but moved rapidly between herself and Miss Parker while Broots' eyes held an expression of pure anguish that made Stephanie secretly wonder if he had the disposition for such work. But for the moment she pushed the thought away and concentrated on the woman in front of her.

"Miss Parker, I am waiting. It will do you no good to delay. Please tell everybody here the reason for which you were subjected to such treatment."

Miss Parker inhaled deeply. "Because we were planning..." She glanced rapidly at her father and in her eyes was an expression that combined anger with something which begged him to forgive her for what was coming.

"Because we were planning to kill the Chairman."


SL-25
The Centre
Blue Cove, Delaware
2:13pm May 16, 2000
"And so, despite the long period of time in which you were together, you made no effort to subdue Red File #2 in any way. " Stephanie’s voice was ice-cold. "Could you explain why you failed to do this?"

"He...I couldn't."

"So you have said, three times. But there must be a reason."

"He..." Broots glanced over to the four prisoners in the brightly lit cell and met Jarod's eye, an expression of panic in his own. The Pretender nodded slightly. "He provided enough information for me to gain custody of my daughter."

Stephanie stepped back, a satisfied smirk on her lips. "So you, Miss Parker, are indebted to the prisoner because of the things he uncovered about your past. You, Doctor, owe the prisoner a debt because he told you about your son and you, Mr Broots, gained custody of your daughter through his intervention. It would therefore seem that the more time he spent in society, the more opportunity he had to provide you with information about your lives. So your desire to return him to the Centre decreased with each passing week." She gave them a scornful look and then turned to the sweepers within the barred section. " It would seem, then, that the best way to reduce any further chance of such a thing happening is to remove from the memory of Red File #2 any idea of his past. You will take the prisoner into the other room and ensure that he *will* remember nothing. The Triumvirate wants him to recommence his SIMs as soon as possible." She nodded at the sweepers, two of whom stepped forward and grabbed the Pretender by his arms. Jarod threw himself at the bars as soon as he felt their touch.

"Please, Sydney, don't let them do it. Please!"

The doctor jumped to his feet, sending his chair crashing to the ground. "Please - Miss - Stephanie, there can be no need for this. I'm sure he would co-operate."

Stephanie turned to him and shrugged, her face expressionless. "I am merely obeying orders, doctor. Perhaps, if you had obeyed orders in the first place, we would not all be in this situation now." She turned back. "Return him to the room when he is in a suitable condition to begin work."

SL-25
The Centre
Blue Cove, Delaware
4.19pm May 16, 2000
"All right. We are going to have a ten-minute break. You are forbidden from leaving the room." As she spoke, Stephanie walked towards the single door in the room and walked through it. A sweeper closed it behind her and then placed himself in front of it. She walked down the hall and opened another door, climbing the stairs until she appeared in the room overlooking the conference room. One of the men turned his chair so that he was facing her.

"More entertainment, eh? Well, Miss Stephanie, consider yourself to be very entertaining."

"We are enjoying it very much."

Stephanie made a mock-curtsey, difficult in her tightly fitting dress, and took the seat they offered her. "Thank-you. I believe it is working well."

"And what do you have planned for Jarod? That was not part of the original idea."

"No, sir. I'm aware of that. But it does have a purpose."

"As does everything you do. Very well, we will watch and learn."

Stephanie waved a hand and the three figures looked through the glass in time to see Jarod walking stiffly but unbound between the two sweepers. Two grey marks on his temples, as well as bandages on both his hands, showed the occupants of the room that here was the source of the screams that they had heard, very faintly, through the walls. Major Charles leapt up from his seat and would have thrown himself at his son, but a burly sweeper restrained him and kept him on his seat. Ethan placed one hand one the pretender's shoulder and shook him, but it brought no response. Emily turned pale but, having seen the treatment that her father received, she didn't move. It remained for Sydney to make the greatest reaction.

Mirroring his earlier effort, the psychiatrist jumped out of his seat. Through it all, Jarod remained staring straight ahead, not blinking and hardly breathing, and he made no response as Sydney loudly called his name. One of the Triumvirate members turned and stared at Stephanie.

"What caused this?"

"Several treatments of electricity, applied to the temples. A most effective treatment, as you see."

"And your purpose?"

"As you see." She drew their attention back to the group. Sydney, having elicited no response, had dropped back into his chair, staring as vacantly as Jarod did. Broots attempted to show some sign of sympathy, but Miss Parker turned a scornful look on them both.

"For heavens sake, grow up. It's nothing more than he deserved."

Sydney glared at her and muttered under his breath as Stephanie rose and headed for the door.

"How did you know that she would not join up with her father and brother?"

"An innate sense of mistrust. Besides, neither Lyle nor Mr Cox are in positions to help anyone." She indicated the two men, bound in their chairs and gagged to prevent them from further disruptions with which they had punctuated the earlier session. "Equally, considering her earlier revelations, I doubt her father is particularly pleased with her at the moment."

"Very well, Miss Stephanie. Do continue with your activities. We will be watching."

"I am well aware of the fact, sir." She turned and left the room, muttering a phrase under her breath that they could not hear. "It makes it so much more fun that way."

SL-25
The Centre
Blue Cove, Delaware
5:30 pm May 16, 2000
"Well, I believe that we have all the information that we could possibly require. That, when supported by the other information which I have obtained, detailing the various deals that you have made over the years, particularly in regard to the sale of simulations, as well as information outlining any and all plans made by some of you to achieve higher positions than the ones you hold now."

Mr Parker glared at her over the top of his recently applied gag, but Stephanie easily ignored him and continued with her grim speech.

"In the meantime, I believe there are some people who which to ask you some questions." She turned to the three gagged men. "If you speak out of turn, you will be forcibly removed and, possibly, given the same treatment as Red File number two." She waved at Jarod, who remained immobile and mute. "Understand?"

Three silent nods were all she needed and the gags were removed. At the same instant, lights in the room behind the mirror were turned on, allowing all those in the room below to see the occupants. During this, Stephanie slipped out of the door and back into the hallway. Then she headed down towards another door and waited behind it, viewing the events within the room from a small screen placed near the door.

As the lights illuminated the three figures behind the glass, Miss Parker exchanged a confused glance with her father, the first since the interview began.

"Who are you?"

"My, my, Mr Parker. I was under the impression that your memory was better than that."

"But...the Triumvirate?"

"*We* are the Triumvirate. There was a bloodless and unannounced coup several months ago. The old Triumvirate, poor things, all met with rather nasty accidents. You won't be seeing them again. In fact, you three," he fixed his eyes firmly on the three men sitting directly opposite him, "came very close to such nasty accidents yourselves. Only a few small turns of fate have saved your lives. So be aware of your luck."

Mr Parker mumbled to himself for a few seconds before he felt the heated glare upon him and stopped abruptly.

"We consider you all to be a danger and the information we have uncovered only served to confirm this fact. With Raines out of the way, you, Mr Parker, felt that you could attempt a coup you have been planning, I understand, for many months. It is a shame that all of those plans have now come to nought. Particularly considering that it is we who know about it." He turned and glanced at one of the sweepers. "You will, at the end of this interview, take Mr Parker to the cell that we have prepared. Is that understood?"

The sweeper nodded and the member of the Triumvirate turned his attention to Lyle.

"You, too, Mr Lyle and Mr Cox, have behaved in the same traitorous way and will be punished in a similar attitude."

"And what attitude will that be?" Lyle demanded.

"Well," the man leant back in his chair and stroked his chin with a contemplative expression on his face. "We could make you the subject of your own planned experiments. Or we could come up with our own ideas. Or else we could hand you over to the American legal authorities."

Lyle muttered something under his breath but stopped as the Triumvirate member turned a piercing glance on him.

"Have you something else to offer, Mr Lyle?"

"No, sir."

"Or you, Mr Cox?"

"No, sir."

"Very well. Then, once this is finished, they will be put into separate cells until we decide on the future course of action."

"Now," he continued, "for the other three."

At these words, Stephanie turned the knob and entered the barred area of the room beside Jarod and his family. She placed one hand gently on Jarod's shoulder so that he knew she was there. His lack of reaction made her wonder whether he was so deep in the pretend she had suggested to him earlier that he was unable to respond.

"It is time for us to reveal to you the altered aims of the future Centre. I believe they may come as something of a surprise to you. There will be no more arbitrary abductions here, nor any experimentation. That will cease completely from today. You three have a choice. You may continue to work for the Centre, as it will be in the future. Or you may leave, and take your chances in the outside world. We cannot guarantee what the future will be."

Miss Parker stood up and stared at the three men. "And why should we believe what you say? The Centre of the past cannot change. There is too much at stake. We...You would all stand to lose too much."

Stephanie glanced up at the Triumvirate and found that they were all looking at her. One nodded and she reached over to remove a panel from the wall. Then she pressed a button and two strips of the floor slid away, revealing two thin tracks. Another push and the vertical bars slid along the length of the room, increasing the barred section and decreasing the size of the room where the six people sat to a room of about ten feet square. Sydney and Broots leapt to their feet and they, with Miss Parker, ran to the bars, which stopped moving as soon as the door was no longer reachable by the individuals in the room.

"What is going on?!"

"My dear Miss Parker, is it not obvious?" Stephanie smiled for the first time since beginning the interview. "You are now the prisoners and they are not."

"But there is more to come, is there not, Miss Stephanie?"

"Of course, sir." She stepped forward to the bars so that she was visible to all of the people in the room. "There are several things still to be discussed. The first, Sydney, concerns you. When Mr Broots informed you of Jarod's capture by the Centre, you, unlike Miss Parker, were not surprised by the fact that he was still alive. Now, why was this?"

"Jarod called me at about half past three yesterday to tell me that he was still alive."

Stephanie turned and eyed Jarod, who, despite the depth of his involvement in his pretend, still had the grace to blush slightly. Fortunately Stephanie blocked him from the others and they failed to see his action.

"And you, Mr Lyle, were very keen to get to know me, were you not, when I first began working here?"

"I suppose..." he muttered, discomfited.

"Have you never wondered why *I* was chosen to work here, Mr Lyle, and not others? For your information, and that of the others in this room, I will tell you my real name. It is Lee Lin. Does the name sound even vaguely familiar to any of you?"

"Lee Lin?" Stephanie, or to give her real name, Lee, watched as Miss Parker's mind put the pieces together.

"Lin? That was the name of..." She turned to Sydney, who had worked it out at the same time as Miss Parker had.

"That is correct," stated Lee. "May Lin was my sister. She disappeared only a few weeks after getting to know you, Mr Lyle. She disappeared and it was then found that she had been murdered. No court may be able to convict you of that but, were these bars not in place, I would repay her 'debt' myself. As it is, I prefer to wait and see what the Triumvirate decide."

"A wise choice, Miss Lin. We will not make you wait for very long. But first we wish you to assist us."

"In any way that I can, sir."

"It is just possible that some of these six people will be beneficial to the new Centre, as it will be."

"And you," another member spoke up, "will be the person who makes those decisions for us, as you know them better than we do."

"Of course, sir." She began to pace the length of the bars, staring intently at each of the six people. "I feel, sir, that his past works have shown Mr Broots to be trustworthy and willing to work for you."

"Very well. Let him out."

As Stephanie walked to the door, Miss Parker meditated dashing through the gate but the feeling of cold metal in her neck prevented her. Glancing over, she saw that Sydney was being treated to similar methods. Only Broots was allowed, nervously to edge through the door that Lee held open. He walked through and then sank down onto the bench and mopped his sweating forehead.

"Well, Miss Lin, anyone else?"

Lee glanced at Sydney and saw that, unlike the others, he was not looking at her but rather at Jarod. Without turning, she could tell that Jarod had maintained his blank, staring expression and lack of reaction to any stimulus in the room. Despite herself, Lee was unable to feel anything but sympathy for him and decided to relieve his suffering.

"Doctor Sydney. He has proven himself beyond doubt and will be useful in future when working with Jarod and the others."

The men behind the glass glanced at each other before one nodded. "Very well. He is yours. Open the door."

Lee did as she was bid and Sydney slipped through the gap and went immediately to Jarod's side and began speaking to him in low tones. As for Lee, she turned and eyed the others for a moment before looking at the Triumvirate once more. "I would like time to consider."

"Very well." One of the men looked at his watch. "You may have thirty minutes."

Lee turned back to the people in her section of the room. "Jarod, you will come with me."

Sydney stood and looked at her pleadingly. "Please, Miss Lin, if I may come too..."

"No, Doctor. You are to remain here." She saw the pain in his eyes and, despite herself, felt her expression soften. "I will call you if you are needed."

She turned back to Jarod, who had stood as she spoke, and opened the door, following the pretender out of the room.

SL-25
The Centre
Blue Cove, Delaware
6.15pm pm May 16, 2000
"Now before you say anything..." Jarod began as soon as the door of the nearby office was closed behind them.

"No, before *you* do, I want an apology from the man who has no faith in my plans whatsoever." Lee placed a hand on his shoulder and turned him so that he was forced to look at her. She watched as the formerly blank facial expression crumbled, leaving his eyes sparkling and his cheeks glowing.

"Mm-hm"

"Pardon?"

"I'm hm-mm."

"I didn't quite catch that."

"I'm *sorry*, okay? Sheesh."

"What was that again?"

"Nothing, nothing." Jarod turned away with the hint of a smile on his face and Lee grinned in response. After a moment, the pretender turned back. "So what now?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, what's going to happen now? What's the next step?"

"I thought you'd remember."

"Humour me."

Lee glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. "Well, whoever said you were a genius definitely missed the bus. In fact, I'd say they missed the mark by about as much..."

"Hey, I'm not the one who wheedled their way into the confidence of the Triumvirate." Jarod seated himself on the edge of the table as he made this remark, cutting across the beginning of what, from experience, he knew to be a lengthy tirade. "But, as you have, be the dear, sweet, angelic little person that you pretend, in public, to be and tell me - "

He broke off suddenly as Lee turned on him and wrestled with him, neatly landing him on the floor but maintaining her own balance by a miracle.

"Just you apologise." Lee stood over him and calmly straightened her Asian-style dress with long fingers. "I won't be insulted, even by you. And especially not considering who's wielding power at the moment."

"All right, all *right*!" Jarod picked himself up off the floor and reseated himself on the edge of the table. "I'm sorry. Again. But please - like I said before, humour me."

"Right now," Lee folded her hands on the table in front of her, "I've successfully managed to get everyone on the back foot. None of the group that includes your former mentor have any intention of working together, except perhaps Broots and Sydney, which is exactly what I planned. The Triumvirate are still wondering exactly what I have planned, which is the whole point, incidentally, and your family are carrying out my instructions to the absolute letter."

"And what about Miss Parker?"

She smiled at him. "Would it break your heart if I left her out? No, I'm not that unkind. Right now I'm letting her sweat it out a bit - it'll be good for her. But she's going to be included. I'm sure *they* will find her very useful. Besides, I owe her a debt for going behind the back of the old Triumvirate to try and get information about my sister."

"She did - ?"

"Oh, come on, Jarod. I told you about that, I know I did. It was started by the information you sent them, which they got while you were thrown into the pool, handcuffed and blindfolded, remember? Fulfilling another of your ambitions, I presume."

"And how are you managing Mr Parker and the rest of that trio?"

"Sedatives."

"What?!"

"Do you have a better idea?"

"Well, no." Jarod grinned briefly. "And what about Sydney?"

"I've been thinking about that."

"And?"

"And - well, let's get him in here."

She threw open the door, and the sweeper outside turned to her.

"Escort Doctor Sydney here immediately."

Lee's order echoed down the hall and the figure, dressed in black, hurried to obey orders. Lee turned and glanced at Jarod, who grinned once before allowing his face to resume its former, blank expression. This was just completed when the door opened and Sydney hurried into the room.

"What - what is it? Is there something - ?" He stopped and looked from Lee to Jarod with an expression of near-terror on his face. Lee turned to the man who was still standing inside the door.

"You may go. I will call you if you are needed." It was only by a miracle that she remembered to adopt her stilted accent again and she made a determined effort not to catch Jarod's eye, knowing that it would be her undoing, and probably his as well.

"Is there - what's wrong? Can I help?" Sydney's voice displayed the panic that was rapidly building in him.

"There is certainly something you can do, Doctor."

"What - Jarod?"

"Jarod needs no help that you can give." The man spoke for himself and allowed the blank expression to completely disappear from his face.

"I - what...?" Sydney glanced over and did a quick double take. Tragically for the other two in the room, Lee happened to glance in the same direction and any further conversation was held up until their laughter could stop.

"Oh, Sydney." Lee was nearly weeping by this time and Jarod, who had calmed down sooner, stepped over and, taking her by the shoulders, shook her two or three times.

"Just you stop that and remember who's sitting only a few doors down - and how much we still have to do."

Lee, who had bitten her tongue when Jarod shook her and was still in pain from it, nodded her head and then wiped her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Sydney. It was just your statement - and your comments..."

She was about to go off again but felt Jarod's eye on her and stopped. "Sit down. We'll explain."

#####

Lee stood outside the room and glanced at the screen. She had been there for long enough that Miss Parker's pacing was making her feel slightly dizzy. It was either that or nerves; she wasn't sure which. She inhaled deeply and felt Jarod's hand on her shoulder. It squeezed gently and she looked up at him with a smile. His own smile, when he returned it, was full of warmth and affection and, for a moment, made her forget her concern. Then the memory came flooding back and she turned and placed one hand on the firm handle. She felt Jarod's hand slip from her shoulder and, out of the corner of her eye, watched as his face resumed the almost terrifyingly blank expression. Then she pushed open the door and entered the room.

Two Faces
Part 4

SL-25
The Centre
Blue Cove, Delaware
6.35pm May 16, 2000
"Miss Parker," the Asian woman announced calmly.

"Are you sure?" Lee knew that the member of the Triumvirate who had made that statement was quite hard to surprise and it was only with difficulty that she suppressed a grin as she heard the tone of her voice.

"Quite sure, sir. She had been shown to be loyal and hard-working and I am sure that with the correct... re-education... she could be of much use to us." Lee watched as Miss Parker tried to hide the tightening of her facial muscles and she could feel Broots' concerned eyes staring at her back.

The three men conferred for a few moments before one nodded. "Very well, Miss Lin. You have had experience with the three people and know their abilities and strengths. We trust your judgment in this manner."

Lee tried not to grin with delight. "I appreciate that, sir. Thank-you." She walked forward and turned the key in the lock, opening it enough to allow Miss Parker to slip through and then she firmly closed it behind her.

"And I believe that that is all, is it not?" The man glanced at the other two members of the Triumvirate and they nodded their approval.

"Not quite, sir."

Lee pulled a small, black device from her pocket and pressed the button on it. Instantly, sheets of clear material slipped from the ceiling into the gaps between the bars of the screen in front of them. At the same instant, she withdrew a small black clip from her other pocket and attached it to the shirt in front of her. By this time, the men had recovered from their shock enough to speak.

"Miss Lin, what is going on?"

"An - extension of your plan, gentlemen." She deliberately allowed the faux-Asian accent to slip, and her American one to take its place, listening to the echo of her voice as it came through the speakers.

The Triumvirate members straightened in their seats, glaring at her. "A challenge, Miss Lee?"

"You might call it that." As she spoke, the door behind her crashed against the wall and men in black SWAT vests burst into the room. One opened the gate in the bars and the men poured through it and into the smaller part of the room. Then the first man slammed the gate shut and joined the rest of his men, his gun drawn. The figures already in the room had taken advantage of the initial disruption and were now also donning black vests. The three men bound in the chairs looked as though their eyes were about to exit their skulls but the Triumvirate glanced around their encased room with a sense of satisfaction. That lasted until Jarod 'came to life', much to the astonishment of Miss Parker and Broots, and pressed a small button on the wall. Almost instantly the bulletproof sheeting in front of the Triumvirate disappeared into the ceiling and the three formerly powerful men found themselves staring down more than two dozen gun-barrels.

Lee, who had not moved since the raid began, now took up a position where she was clearly visible to almost everyone in the room.

"I know that this is a surprise to everyone. Almost everyone," she corrected herself as she heard Jarod cough gently but meaningfully behind her. "But you see, gentlemen," she looked up at the Triumvirate, "despite all of your denials to the contrary, I doubt if you will really change the Centre. If, as you told me initially, you'd only been in charge of the Centre for a little over a month, then I would be able to excuse the lack of action. But I happen to know that the coup masterminded by you happened more than six months ago - plenty of time for you to have instigated the changes you mentioned before. So I'm forced to doubt your intention as to the eventual reality of those changes. In fact, I'm willing to believe that those changes are never going to take place at all - at least, they weren't. Otherwise, why would you still need Jarod or Ethan - or any of the subjects that are here? So I was forced to ask myself - why did you need me? What possible use could you have for me? And then, the other day, it hit me. Through me, you could find out who was going to be a possible threat - and dispose of them."

Lee turned and caught a glimpse of Miss Parker as she shuddered and slid down the wall, against which she had been leaning, until she was sitting on the floor. Lee turned back, contempt becoming obvious both in her voice and on her face.

"So I was to be your weasel, hunting out figures for you to trap and destroy. Then you could have the freedom to work the Centre in any way you liked."

Lee could feel her temper beginning to rise, as it had when she had first learnt about her probable fate. She took a deep breath and then continued.

"If you had been a little more careful in your research, gentlemen, you would have discovered that I am not, nor have I ever been, associated with the organization from which you - recruited me. My interest in taking this job was sparked by the disappearance of my sister...and the fact that her assumed killer worked here. And you can see for yourselves how right my information was."

She glanced back and caught Jarod's eye. He grinned at her but remained silent.

"I'm a member of the CIA. Have been for years. And they, having had an eye on this place for years, were very pleased to get someone on the inside. So now it would seem that your whole plan is undone. The entire Centre has been surrounded since yesterday morning. Ten minutes ago, the other staff members were rounded up. And now it's your turn. I hope you enjoy it, gentlemen. At least you can be sure of the fact that you won't be needing to make any decisions for a while."

She turned, a broad grin on her face, and removed the small microphone from her dress and tossed it onto the ground. Walking over, she opened the heavy iron door that led out into the corridor and ushered the rest of the room's occupants out of it before her. Then, turning, she pressed the small button on the box in her hand again and the bars began their slow movement back to their original position, allowing the other people to leave the room more easily.

The Triumvirate Offices, SL-9
The Centre
Blue Cove, Delaware
7:38pm May 16, 2000
Glancing over her shoulder, Lee saw the heavily armed group moving the six men, one by one, out of the now-defunct interview room and down the hall in the opposite direction. She was forced to suppress her own amusement as she walked in and shut the door. The room, however, was not unoccupied. At a desk, which stood facing a group of eight chairs, sat a man of slim build who wore round, wire-rimmed glasses. Behind the man stood a large group of heavily armed SWAT team members. As Lee entered the room, the man stood and came over.

"Well, well, well, Miss Stephanie-Lee Lin. I congratulate you. Another task successfully completed."

He smiled and she returned the expression.

"Is there anything I can do for you?"

She leaned forward as the group took their seats behind her. "Just one thing, sir."

He glanced at her serious face and nodded. "Of course."

Glancing over his shoulder, he caught the eye of one of the guards, who moved over to a small door. As he opened it, two children ran out of the room. A small boy threw himself at his mother's legs while the girl glanced around, spotted Jarod and leapt at him with the cry of "Daddy!" Jarod picked up the small girl and Stephanie-Lee cuddled the small boy to her while trying not to giggle as she heard the united gasp from Sydney and Miss Parker. Meanwhile, the stranger reseated himself behind the desk and smiled at the group.

"Well, this has obviously been somewhat of a shock for most of you. Is there anything you'd like to ask?"

"Who are you?" Stephanie-Lee glanced at Broots as he mumbled the question and turned back to find the unknown man eyeing her with a grin.

"Would you like to answer that one?"

"Yes, sir. This gentleman is Mr George Tenet, Director of Central Intelligence at the CIA."

"And - who are you?"

"I'm," she paused and glanced over at Mr Tenet, who nodded. "I *was* a member of Clandestine Operations. Since the birth of my children, however, I'm be reducing the number of projects in which I've been involved and this was my last in the field. I start desk work on Monday, though."

"And our loss is their gain. We lose a very valuable member of our forces, but we have no doubt that she will be a credit to us."

Stephanie-Lee bowed her head slightly and smiled. "Thank-you, sir. I appreciate that. I know you understand."

"And - what about us...?" Stephanie-Lee glanced over at Miss Parker as she spoke. It was Mr Tenet, however, who responded to the question.

"It will be up to you. Thanks to Miss Lin, we know we can trust you all. For that reason, we would like to invite all of you to join us as active members of the CIA."

"And if we don't?" Miss Parker asked.

"Then you will have a chance to return to - I should say develop normal lives. I doubt many of you have had the chance of a normal life for some time now."

"Even - ?" Sydney spoke before he had thought and was unable to prevent himself from glancing over at Jarod and Ethan.

"We are aware of their talents - Jarod's, in particular - but that information will go no further, if they don't wish to work with us."

There was silence for a few more minutes until Stephanie-Lee broke through it and glanced up at her boss. "I think, sir, that they might still be trying to come to terms with what happened. Perhaps, with some time to discuss it..."

"Of course." He glanced over his shoulder again and the armed troops trailed out of the room. Mr Tenet was about to follow him when his employee jumped up again.

"Uh, sir, did you manage to do what I asked?"

"Naturally. In there." He pointed to the other door and then left the room.

Stephanie, with due care and attention for her tight-fitting, Asian-style dress, put her son, who had fallen asleep, onto the sofa in the corner of the room and then slid herself up onto the desk. "You're all so quiet," she joked. "Even you, Jarod."

"How," Miss Parker spoke slowly, "do we know that this isn't some trick by the Triumvirate to get rid of us?"

Stephanie-Lee nodded slowly and then stood. "Fortunately, I do have some proof to back up my words." She walked over to the door and opened it. "You can come out now."

As the girl appeared in the doorway, Broots leapt to his feet. "Debbie!"

Miss Parker glanced over to Stephanie-Lee as Broots caught his daughter in his arms and sat on the sofa next to the sleeping Jeremy. "How does that prove anything?"

"We got to her just before Mr Cox did. He was already working for the new Triumvirate and had orders to capture her in an effort to make the three of you do what they wanted. Fortunately we got hold of the order and stopped him before he got to her. Here's the order, just to prove it."

She picked up a folder that Mr Tenet had left on the desk, opened it and extracted a sheet of paper that she handed to Miss Parker. Then she glanced around, once more wearing a wide grin.

"Anyone else got any questions? You, Syd? You haven't said much."

"Well... it's just... did..." He pulled himself together. "Did I hear that child call Jarod 'Daddy'? How could...? Not even Jarod..."

Stephanie-Lee jumped to what he was thinking and broke into peals of laughter. She caught Jarod's eye and nearly fell of the table in her amusement. Standing up and making an extreme effort, she got hold of herself and wiped the tears away from her eyes. "Oh, Sydney. No...No, Jarod's not their father."

At the thought, she began to giggle again and it was left to Jarod himself to clarify things, which he did while also wearing a wide grin on his face.

"Steph's husband was killed several years ago. I sort of - filled the void."

Stephanie-Lee had managed to calm down and now she spoke for herself. "David was also working for the CIA. He was shot while driving a pursuit vehicle. He was killed instantly and his partner was seriously injured. The suspect, who was wanted for a lot more than just David's murder, got away. Until today anyway," she finished with a faint smile.

"Today?" Miss Parker had picked up on this fact and looked up, interest written on her face.

"Yes, Miss Parker." Stephanie-Lee's face held a trace of sadness. "Today. Mr Lyle was responsible for the death of my husband. Mr Lyle was seen abducting my sister and David recognized her. He and his partner, although they were off-duty, chased the car and would have caught them both if Lyle hadn't been armed. It was that which made me most want to work her - to avenge his death. George - I beg his pardon, Mr Tenet - wasn't too sure but I convinced him. I would have rather died finding out about it than have lived not knowing. But Lyle had to file a report - with the old Triumvirate, incidentally - so that they could cover for him if he was ever accused of the murder, which was how I learnt about his involvement. David's former partner has no recollection of the accident, and so couldn't identify Lyle."

"So what now?"

Stephanie-Lee looked over at Broots, who was still holding Debbie closely.

"What do you mean? You heard George's offer and it's a true one. We could use people like you. You could all be very valuable to the CIA. But you won't be forced. It's up to you all to make up your own minds." She glanced around at the group as the ex-Centre employees exchanged glances. "So, what do you want to do?"

Stephanie-Lee leaned back against the desk and looked carefully from Miss Parker to Sydney and then to Broots. The most obvious expression on their faces was doubt and she thought frantically of a way to resolve it. Luckily the need was taken out of her hands.

Glancing around at the other occupants of the room, she noted Emily’s white, almost gray, pallor and leapt forward to catch her as she slipped from her chair. Lowering the woman gently to the floor, Stephanie felt frantically for a pulse and was grateful to find one almost immediately, however the strength of it concerned her.

As Jarod and Major Charles gathered around and tried frantically to bring Emily back to consciousness, the CIA agent gave a piercing whistle that was immediately answered by the door of the room opening and an agent, still wearing a SWAT vest, stood there.

"Yes, Miss Lin?"

"Bring my bag here, immediately. And a stretcher."

"Yes, ma'am."

He returned seconds later with a black bag, which he gave to her before leaving again. Opening it in front of her, Stephanie pulled a glass container and a small syringe out and, after filling the syringe, handed the bottle to Jarod, who showed it to his father.

"She's not allergic?"

"No."

Stephanie-Lee nodded at the word and, finding a vein, injected the contents into the unconscious woman's blood stream. As she waited for it to work, she looked surreptitiously around at the other people in the room. All watched her warily but at least the concern was gone and she could tell that a positive response to her actions would go a long way to placing trust in her and the organization for which she worked.

The Asian woman glanced over her shoulder and nodded at the two men in the doorway, who came forward and put the motionless, but at least conscious, woman onto the stretcher and carried it out of the room. Jarod, Ethan and Major Charles closely followed them. She turned back to find Sydney and Miss Parker watching her closely.

"What are you, Miss Lin?"

She tried to suppress the grin, having heard from Jarod how often he had been asked a similar thing. Instead, she snapped shut the bag and, standing, brushed the dust away from her dress as she answered.

"I am a CIA Operations Officer and a qualified MD. After I graduated from medical school, I applied and was accepted by the CIA to work with them. I also got engaged at the same time and was married a year later."

She took a seat facing the two ex-Centre operatives, glancing across at Broots who was seemingly absorbed in his daughter but, Stephanie-Lee suspected, was listening as hard as he could. Her final glance was over at her now two sleeping children, both of whom were obviously worn out from the long day. Her tender smile still played around the corners of her mouth as she looked back to Sydney and Miss Parker.

"I know that none of you have reason or grounds to trust anybody anymore and I wouldn't expect you to. But, although the whole building is being heavily guarded and will continue to be so until our people have cleared the offices of the sublevels, but you are all free to go wherever you like. Home, Maine," she nodded towards Miss Parker, who looked startled, "if you wanted to visit Michelle, Sydney, that would be fine. We might be calling on you to provide evidence, but that's not so likely. This building should be enough to convince any jury."

At this juncture, the baby began to cry very softly in his sleep and Stephanie-Lee walked over to scoop him up in her arms. He snuggled up to her and she rubbed his back as she returned to her former position, leaning against the table. As she did this, the door opened and a figure in a white coat walked into the room.

"Ms Lin?"

"Yes, Doctor Sullivan?"

"I wanted to let you know that the young lady is recovering rapidly now, thanks to your treatment. I was wondering, though, if I could have the container..."

Stephanie-Lee nodded and, with one hand, opened the bag and pulled out the small glass container, handing it over.

"Leave the door open, if you don't mind, doctor."

The woman bowed her head in acquiescence and disappeared down the hallway to the left, the glass held firmly in her hand.

"So..." Stephanie-Lee turned back to the room's occupants, "that's it. There is, if you’re interested, the chance for a debriefing over the next few days. If not...well, there's the door. Good luck."

She turned back and walked over to the inner room, picking up her bag and the bag of her children that contained the things that her son and daughter needed. It was several seconds before she came back into the outer room and saw that, although Broots had gone with his daughter and that Miss Parker had also left, Sydney still remained.

"Was there anything you wanted, doctor?"

He sat down in a chair and watched as she slipped her son into the cloth carrying-bag and swung it gently onto her back so that his head rested on her shoulder.

"Can I see...Jarod?"

"Of course." Stephanie-Lee scooped her daughter up in her arms and led the way out of the room. She stopped at the guard who stood outside.

"Which level is the infirmary set up on?"

He snapped to attention and, much to Sydney amazement, saluted her sharply. "SL-6, ma'am."

She nodded. "Thank-you."

The two walked beside each other in silence to the elevator.

"Are you...?"

He stopped and Stephanie-Lee glanced up at him in some amusement. "Doctor, I can perfectly understand your feelings - or I think I can. But I do want to assure you, if I can, that you're safe. Jarod trusts me completely, as do his sister, brother and father. I don't say that you have to trust me. Only that I hope, eventually, you will believe me when I say that this nightmare you've been living with for so long really is over."

The elevator dinged to a stop and Stephanie-Lee led the way out. Just outside the doors stood another guard who, like the first, saluted but, unlike the first, smiled as well. It only took Sydney several seconds to recognize him.

"Mike?!"

"Good evening, Doctor. Or rather, good morning." He stood by to let them pass.

Looking down the hall, Stephanie-Lee could see Jarod standing outside the room, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed and his head hanging down.

"Is he...?"

She could hear the panic rising in Sydney's voice and grinned at him. "He's probably asleep. We've all had a long few days but not all of us had to carry somebody else long distances." She walked up beside the Pretender and tapped him sharply on one shoulder, giggling softly as he jumped. "Wakey, wakey."

"God, you startled me!"

"Obviously." Stephanie-Lee looked in through the window to see Major Charles sitting beside the bed in which Emily lay. "How is she doing?"

"Much better. They want to keep her under observation for a day or two, but she should recover fairly quickly. It was really only exhaustion - but you already knew that."

"I'm glad to hear it." She stepped back but Jarod put a hand on the shoulder that was free of children's heads.

"Are you okay? You look like hell."

She grinned up at him. "Looked in a mirror lately?"

"Okay, okay." He smiled gently. "Going home?"

She nodded. "I want to get these two into bed, above and beyond anything else that I might be feeling. Will you - any of you - be coming?"

Jarod shrugged. "I don't know. I doubt Dad will, but I'll see what I can persuade Ethan to do."

"I understand." She looked around. "Where is Ethan, anyway?"

"Miss Parker came down and he walked with her to her car. I think she still needs a little convincing."

"She isn't the only one." Stephanie-Lee nodded back over her shoulder at Sydney, who was standing a short distance away, watching them.

Jarod squeezed her shoulder gently before letting go. "Get some sleep, okay? I'll see you in the morning."

"Morning!" Stephanie-Lee groaned. "I don't even want to think about it! Far too much paperwork." She grinned again before turning away again and smiling at the other occupant of the hallway. "Good night, Sydney."

Stevenson's Falls, Delaware
12:42 am May 17, 2000
Stephanie-Lee let herself into the house and kicked the door shut behind her with a practiced foot. She walked into the room that Emily had slept in the night before and put her daughter down onto the bed that the woman had occupied with a sigh of relief. Turning, she slipped the straps off her shoulders and gently freed her son from the cloth, laying him on a changing table to put on his pajamas suit before placing him in the cot that had been pushed into a corner. She gently covered him up and then changed and covered her daughter, shutting the door as she left the room.

Thank goodness, she thought to herself as she entered the kitchen, that they had washed up before leaving for the Centre that morning. Or, she corrected herself as she looked at the clock, yesterday before. Not bothering to suppress a yawn, she checked that the outside doors were all secure before going into her room and, changing as quickly as possible, turned on the television and slipped between the sheets. Yawning again and stretching, she relaxed against the pillows and was asleep before she could even focus on the screen in front of her.

6:28am May 17, 2000
The first thing that she noticed the next morning was the silence. The second thing was that, for some unaccountable reason, she was awake ridiculously early. Shaking her head at her own stupidity, but knowing from experience that she wouldn't be able to go back to sleep, she dragged herself out of bed. Staggering into the kitchen, she put the kettle onto the stove before walking over to look out of the window. When it boiled, she made herself a mug of coffee and carried it back into the bedroom. Entering, she stopped in the doorway and came close to dropping the hot contents on to her bare feet. Somehow she had missed the most major change in the room. Her bed contained a second occupant. At some point during the night, he had come home from the Centre and forsaken his own bed for hers. She shrugged to herself and turned away, walking back down the hall to the living room. At least that explained who had turned off the television.

Wrapping herself in a rug, she settled in front of the television and watched some inane Saturday morning cartoons for a while before noises from another part of the house told her that her children were awake. Putting the mug on the table in front of her, she got up and went into the noisy bedroom, joining in the games that the two of them were playing before moving with them into the bathroom and thus preparing them for the day ahead. It was ten o'clock before she heard the ring at the doorbell and opened it to find her mother standing there.

"Hi, Steph, darling. I thought I would come by and see if you wanted us to take the children again today. We heard about the operation on the radio and I know you'll have work to do."

"That's definitely an offer I can't refuse." Her daughter smiled and gathered together a bag of things to hand her mother. As she waved the car goodbye, she turned to find Jarod standing in the doorway.

"Good morning."

"What time were you up?"

She stepped past him into the house and he followed her into the kitchen. "Oh, around six thirty."

"What?! Are you insane? You didn't leave the Centre until after midnight!"

"I know, I know." She waved in the direction of the coffee mug and laughed. "I have so much to do now that this is over."

"Anything I can help with?"

She smiled at him. "I know you'll want to stay with your sister. It's a lovely offer, but no thanks."

He left the kitchen and she could soon hear the sound of a shower running. With a sigh she picked up the bag containing her papers from the previous day's events, walked into her office and sat down in front of her computer to begin typing up her notes.

4:18 pm May 17, 2000
The sun was already somewhat low in the sky when she got up from her chair and stretched her weary and aching back.

"About time."

Stephanie-Lee jumped violently as a voice came from behind her and she spun around to find Jarod and his father, brother and sister standing in the doorway.

"Wakey, wakey," Jarod teased as he walked into the room. "I thought you must have gone deaf. We made enough noise coming in."

She laughed. "Sorry, I was concentrating."

"Well, don't hurt yourself."

She picked up a cushion from the sofa that the room boasted and swatted him with it before dropping it again and walking over to Emily.

"How are you feeling?"

"Much better."

Stephanie-Lee looked closely at her and noticed that there was color in her cheeks as she responded. "Good, I'm glad to hear it. You gave us all a fright last night."

"Dr Sullivan said she’d either call or come by later this afternoon to talk to you about Emily's care," Major Charles interposed, smiling at his daughter.

"Great!" Stephanie-Lee gave a mock grumble. "That's all I need. More CIA agents coming to check up on me." She grinned as the group moved from the door of her study to the kitchen.

#####

"Where are your kids?"

Stephanie-Lee looked up from the book she was reading when Major Charles walked in to the living room.

"My mother picked them up early this morning. She heard about the raid on the radio and has a sort of extra sense where I'm concerned. Somehow she always knows when I'm involved."

Major Charles laughed as he took a seat opposite her. "I can sympathize."

The Asian woman smiled at him. "I'm sure you can. How's your daughter?"

"Resting. I said that you had told her she had to, so she was willing."

"And where are Jarod and Ethan?"

"They said they were going to take a walk."

"Well, they might not be back for a while, then. Jarod’s very capable of going off and forgetting about the time completely." She laughed before becoming serious once again. "And how are you doing?"

He sighed. "I don't...know."

She raised an eyebrow but stayed silent.

"I suppose that it's just come so suddenly that I can't believe the threat of the Centre is finally over. When you've been living under that sort of cloud for so long, one night isn't going to clear it all away..."

"I understand, Major. I've been trying to find out why David died for several years now and it's only been in the last week that I've managed to learn that fact."

He nodded. "Do you think there's any chance of finding my wife soon?"

"We have our best people working on it. I arranged that to begin as soon as the Centre was in government hands. It probably won't take them longer than a week or two."

He nodded and looked out of the window and over her garden. Sensing that he wanted to think in silence, Stephanie-Lee returned to her book.

10:28 pm May 17, 2000
That night, in bed, she finished the last of it. She always enjoyed mysteries and it was even nicer when she wasn't the person responsible for solving it. With a sigh, she shut it and placed it on the bedside table. Tucking her hands in behind her head, she was about to indulge in some serious thinking when a knock at the door startled her.

"Come in."

When Jarod poked his head around the door, she smiled and moved across so that there was room on the bed to sit.

"Can I talk to you?"

"Of course you can. Do you need to ask?"

He flashed a brief grin at her before seating himself on the bed.

"It's nice that you ask, though," Stephanie-Lee continued conversationally, "as opposed to just coming in and lying on the bed."

She watched in amusement as he blushed. "I wanted company."

"That much even I figured out. Actually, I wasn't expecting you to come back last night at all. I thought you would have stayed with Emily."

"I was going to but Dad said that it wasn't necessary. I think he's still trying to get used to me being around."

Stephanie-Lee nodded thoughtfully. "That could take a while. You can be quite overwhelming."

"Thanks, I think."

She grinned. "Truth hurts."

"From some people."

For a moment she was overwhelmed by a feeling that she couldn't understand and looked away. An idea struck her and she looked back at him.

"Are you going to go to the debriefing?"

He glanced at her out of the corner of one eye. "I'm not sure."

"Why not?"

"Hey, I didn't say either way."

"No, but I know you well enough to know what 'I'm not sure' means."

He paused and glanced at the wall for a few seconds. "I don't know if I can bear to tell people what went on there. If I have to think about it again, I may end up reliving it."

"Jarod," she reached out and covered one of his hands with her own, "you do it anyway - night after night. How much worse can the dreams be than they are already?"

"How do you know?" He looked startled and pulled away from her grasp.

"I hear you." She sat back against the pillow. "That was why I gave you a room far away from the children - I was worried that you might disturb them. But I hear you almost every night that you're here." She smiled gently and wearily. "It's hard to hide something like that."

He nodded thoughtfully and glanced across to find that she was almost asleep. A small smile crept across his face as he leaned over and eased pillows out from under her head before getting up, turning off the light and leaving the room.

CIA Offices
Washington DC
9:42 am May 16, 2002
Sam walked down the brightly lit hallway and pursed his lips into a whistle. A glance from a passing officer brought him up short and Sam saluted sharply before continuing on his way. When he arrived at the office, he tapped gently on the door before opening it.

"Doctor? The others asked if you had remembered about today and if you were still coming?"

The room's sole occupant looked up with a gasp and then stared at his watch before throwing papers into a drawer, locking it and picking up his jacket.

"They'll never let me forget this!"

"Oh, it's not that bad." Sam stood aside to allow him to lock the office door. "It only took them six months to stop teasing you about it last year."

The doctor shot him a half-harassed, half-amused look as the two began to hurriedly walk down the hallway towards the elevators.

"The late Doctor Sydney," the voice came before he was even through the door, "mourned by all who knew him."

Sydney walked across to the sink, picked up his mug and gave his former protégé a friendly slap on the arm. Stepping away, he walked over to the sofa that the room contained and settled himself into a corner of it, glancing around at the room's other occupants as he did so.

"Is this everybody?"

Stephanie-Lee smiled across at him from where she sat. "Everybody who is currently in DC, yes."

"So where are Miss Parker and Ethan?"

"The Operations Officers," she stressed the words "are out in the field. I'm afraid that, as their superior, if I told you where they were, I’d have to kill you." She blew gently to cool her coffee down and then took a sip.

"Steph, did you get the call from Mr Tenet?"

"Yes." She nodded. "I have a meeting with the President and Foreign Minister in a week. How did you know?"

An expression of both amusement and curiosity crossed her face as she looked up at Major Charles.

"I met him when he was looking for you. He just said that he needed to get a message to you and did I know where you were?"

She nodded and smiled before emptying her mug and getting up to place it on the sink.

A sigh of frustration from a seat on the sofa made the people turn to find Broots clutching his forehead in his hands.

"What is it, Broots?"

"I can't get these figures to add up and if I don't get this report to George by tonight, my life won't be worth..."

"...any more than it used to be when you worked for Miss Parker," interposed Stephanie-Lee smoothly and with a grin.

Jarod straightened up from where he had been leaning against the sink and walked over, plucking the folder from the former technician's hands. As he read through it, Major Charles tried to glare at him sternly.

"Really, son, you know that you shouldn't interfere in other departments."

Jarod grinned but continued to concentrate. There was silence for a moment that the slender girl sitting quietly in the corner was the first to break.

"So, can the NRO/IG Officer solve problems in the Network Design and Management Program?"

"And could the Statistician do the same if she were allowed?" Her brother responded immediately and then glanced at Broots with a humorous expression in his eyes.

"Broots, I suggest you hire a new secretary - and compare with the originals."

"Oh," Broots sighed with relief, "is that it?" He stood up and tucked the folder under his arm.

"Where are you going? We have two hours for the second anniversary of the destruction of the Centre."

"I want to get this done. If there's still time at the end, I'll come back." He disappeared through the door, leaving the others laughing.

Jarod walked over to his wife, who had taken Broots' seat on the sofa and was chatting with Sydney. After finishing her sentence, she turned to him with a smile.

"Sorry that I couldn't get home last night. Duty called."

"It so often does," she smiled as she leaned against him and he gently kissed the top of her head. A knock at the door prevented Jarod from saying what he was about to.

"Come in."

The door swung inward, revealing the two figures that stood in the hallway outside. One was a head taller than the other and wore a figure-hugging suit. Her companion was wearing baggier clothes and both smiled broadly. Stephanie-Lee remained sitting on the sofa while the other occupants gathered around the newcomers.

"Welcome back, guys. Come on in and join the party."

Miss Parker walked immediately across to the urn and made herself a mug of coffee but Ethan came and sat next to Stephanie-Lee, handing her a folder. He said something in a language that none of the others, including Jarod, could understand and she nodded and replied as she took the folder he was offering. Jarod came over and sat back beside her, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"What was that?"

"Just private conversation."

"In which language?"

"Swahili."

He grinned. "Going to teach me?"

"Nope. I have to have some private communication with my operatives." She smiled and then stood up, moving over to where Miss Parker stood with her arms folded and a grin on her face. The two exchanged comments in another language that was a mystery to the others. Jarod sighed and rolled his eyes to the heavens, exchanging glances with his brother and then grinning.

"And this time?"

"Not telling." His wife smiled. "I don't tell you everything."

"So it would seem."

2:16 pm May 16, 2002
Stephanie-Lee settled back into the chair behind her desk and was about to recommence work when she heard the knock at her door and looked up.

"Come in, Major. What can I do for you?"

"I thought you knew where your operatives were."

Her brow furrowed. "I do."

"So why did you say that they weren't in DC?"

"Because," a smile made her lips twitch. "When you asked, they weren't. A few seconds later, they entered DC airspace."

He relaxed into the seat behind the desk and grinned. "Very clever, Miss Lin."

"Mrs. Richards, please, unless you want to disown your daughter-in-law."

"Very well, Ma'am."

Stephanie-Lee smiled. "And how is your wife?"

"Enjoying some peace and quiet. I've been trying to convince her that she could come to work but she said that she would rather stay home."

"Funnily enough," his daughter-in-law interrupted, "Jarod’s quite pleased about that. Actually, I think he thinks the best part is that he can go and see her whenever and pretty much guarantee that she'll be there. He always says he has to work, but I'm beginning to discover that he isn't always in his office when he says he is." She laughed aloud and, as a sound caught her attention, looked up to find her brother-in-law in the doorway.

"Am I interrupting?" Ethan asked.

"Not at all." She waved him inside and Major Charles got up from his seat.

"I'll be going, then." He patted his son on the shoulder and then left the room while his son and daughter-in-law settled down to discussing the last operation.

Lincolnville, Washington D.C.
9:30pm May 16, 2002
"I'm home."

"Thank God!" The male figure appeared in the hallway as Stephanie dropped her bags and picked up the little girl who had run into the room and hugged her legs. She looked at the man who stood, holding a wriggling toddler in his arms. "None of these three was going anywhere near bed until their Mommy got home."

"And I suppose their Daddy wouldn't either."

He smiled and wrapped an arm around her waist. He always knew exactly what made her feel best and, right now, it was exactly what she needed.

"Mommy, story!"

"Okay, okay. What say we give Mommy five minutes to catch her breath and then maybe you can get a story?"

"You go and pick one out, Clare and Jeremy. And take David with you."

The two children disappeared into a nearby room and Stephanie leaned her head on the shoulder of her husband as they went down the hallway to the living room.

"So how was the rest of your day?"

"Pretty quiet. A few reports, but nothing extreme."

"Hmm, sounds like pure bliss."

He laughed and pulled her a little closer. "Dinner?"

"Mmm, as long as it's not Cup O'Soup again."

"Oh, I promise. Proper cooking."

"And none of that ex-Centre food either. Meat and three vegetables, like every other family in America."

He laughed. "I was thinking maybe something Asian."

"And the last time you attempted Asian, we had to buy it from the local take-away, remember?"

"But I've been reading about it since then, and now I know where I went wrong."

"I hope so." She stood up and stretched.

"Where are you going?"

"To read the kids and story, and then back to the kitchen to enjoy my take-away."

He stuck his tongue out at her and continued his preparations. She smiled as she left the room and headed in to see her children.



The End