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Chapter or Story
Part 11
"Clouds and darkness surround us, yet Heaven is just, and the day of triumph will surely come, when justice and truth will be vindicated. Our wrongs will be made right, and we will, once more, taste the blessings of freedom."
Mary Todd Lincoln
Struggling
July 31, 2000
32 weeks to go.
Jarod smoothly fed the metal into the machine and watched as it was punched into the required shapes. The experience he had gained while working as an ex-con was now being put to an equally positive use and he could definitely see the irony in the current situation. Somehow, as he continued at the frantic pace he was accustomed to, thoughts of the Centre began to work their way into his mind.
Glancing over, he saw a copy of a current newspaper sitting on a nearby bench but the date took some time to work its way into his mind. The 31st of August. Six weeks left. Why did that fact suddenly register? For several seconds, while his hands continued to work, his brain struggled with the fact, trying to make himself understand its relevance.
He felt himself almost at the end of the puzzle when a hand clapped itself onto his shoulder. Surprised, and with all thoughts of the Centre disappearing from his mind, he turned around to see the foreman standing behind him.
"Yes, sir?"
"Visitor, McCaffrey."
"What?"
The foreman was about to yell, but instead he reached over and pressed the button that stopped the machine. Once the metal had clanged and shuddered to a halt, he repeated his statement.
"You have a visitor."
Jarod pulled off the gloves that protected his hands from the hot metal and lifted the goggles that prevented his eyes from getting damaged, tossing them into a nearby basket as he walked past it to where two guards waited for him at the door. His mind, meanwhile, was frantically trying to work out who his potential visitor could be. He was still trying to solve the mystery when he entered the visitor room and saw a man quietly sitting in a chair waiting for him.
August 4, 2000
Miss Parker looked up in time to see Sydney walk past her door and she rapidly got up out of her seat and, leaving the office, followed him along the hall to his own sanctuary.
"Where the hell have you been?"
"Yes, Miss Parker, and it's nice to see you, too." The words were forced out and were barely civil. Miss Parker took a closer look and was secretly horrified to see the sunken cheeks and gray pallor that had crept into Sydney's face over the past few days.
"Sydney, you've been missing for five days. Where have you been?"
"Visiting friends."
"Really?"
Sydney sighed heavily and, without looking up, pulled a book towards him. "If you don't believe me, why ask?"
"Jarod?" The question, snapped out, took them both by surprise.
"I would tell you if I'd seen Jarod." The sentence was curt and short and Miss Parker imagined that Sydney simply wanted her out of his office. Looking away, she failed to see the sudden change that came over his face and the pain that became evident in his eyes as he stood up and began to walk away from the desk.
She picked up a piece of paper from the large pile that sat on his desk; she scanned it quickly and then replaced it. Finally she turned and began to walk out of the office. A small noise made her turn and she saw that Sydney had collapsed onto the floor. Yelling for help, she ran to him.
August 4, 2000
The dark-haired woman watched the scene unfolding before her with a smile curling her top lip and she moved the white stick around to the side of her mouth so that she could talk.
"It's working." A voice from the corner interrupted her.
"It's working wonderfully. In fact, it couldn't be better."
The man walked over and stood behind her, leaning over the back of the chair and rubbing his hand along her arm, his blue eyes glowing. "You know, ever since your tragic death, life's just gotten better, hasn't it?"
"Darling, it's superb." She smirked and choked slightly as the lollipop went slightly too far down her throat. As she recovered, the other figure retreated to his original seat.
"You really should take better care of yourself. If you were to die twice, it would begin look a little suspicious." The woman shot him a sharp glare and he chuckled.
"So when does the rest go into action?"
"Are you getting a little impatient, my dear? Don't worry. It won't take long for Raines to take the bait and then it will all start coming together properly."
"You really think this will work, don't you?"
"The only time my plans haven't worked it when other people allow emotion to get in the way of achieving the main aim. That won't be a problem for much longer, I promise."
"Bah, emotions! Waste of time and energy. If there hadn't ever been emotions at the Centre, we wouldn't have any of the problems that we do now."
The woman sat back in the chair and tucked her hands behind her head as she crossed her legs on the desk. The man on the other side of the office smirked and, getting up, began to walk towards her, his eyes glowing in eager anticipation.
