Table of Contents [Report This]
Chapter or Story 
Chapter or Story
Part 20
"In the last analysis, our only freedom is the freedom to discipline ourselves."
Bernard M. Baruch
Pursuing
December 18, 2000
11 weeks to go.
Seventy-seven days.
One thousand, eight hundred and forty-eight hours.
One hundred and ten thousand, eight hundred and eighty minutes. Roughly.
Jarod didn't bother calculating any further. He didn't really need to. No matter what the numbers were, they were always one thing.
A lot.
Instead he turned his thoughts to the other thing that was taking up so much of his free time.
He still struggled - and this was the thing of greatest frustration to him. He struggled - in his attempts to make Sydney hear hiis thoughts and feelings. Jarod had begun to feel something of those which emanated from his former mentor but the feelings, like the man himself, were vague and difficult to understand and more than once Jarod had almost given up in frustration.
His connections with Angelo, however, had increased at a dramatic rate, although whether it was from the empath understanding what he now wanted or because his own ability was enhanced he couldn't say. He turned his thoughts in the direction and was happy to feel a flow of thoughts coming from Angelo. It had amazed Jarod that Angelo was capable of thinking in clear, grammatical English when he could not speak that way.
It seemed suddenly cruel to Jarod that he must have been trapped inside his own mind for so long. Jarod shook his head, glanced once at the stars he could see through his window and again concentrated on the task he had set himself.
December 22, 2000
Angelo's eyes flickered open as the wave of thought washed into his mind. Jarod. One word but it was enough and the empath opened his mind, allowing Jarod to 'see' all of the activity that had been done that day.
Not that it was a lot. The group spent much of their time conferring about the possible actions within the Centre and, sometimes, about Jarod himself and what he was doing.
Angelo felt the tears that sprang into the trapped man’s eyes as he 'heard' the discussions that had ensued.
'Are you okay?'
'I'm fine. They actually treat me pretty well here.'
'Are you happy, Jarod?'
'What do you think?'
There was a mental moment of silence.
'Get Sydney.' The thought was crystal clear and Angelo sat upright in bed. 'Tell Sydney how to talk to me.'
'How?' The empath carefully formed the word in his mind and waited for the response.
'Let me talk through you. Can you do that, Angelo?'
'I can try.'
The figure got up off the couch where he slept and walked over to where Sydney lay; feeling that Jarod was preparing himself for what would be a difficult task.
"Sydney, I need to talk to you."
December 22, 2000
"Angelo? What's going on?" Sydney sat up in bed and stared at the savant.
"Sydney, please."
The psychiatrist’s brow creased in confusion. This wasn’t Angelo’s voice. It was too firm, too deliberate, and most of all, too fluent. It almost sounded like… "Jarod?"
"Got it in one." Sydney saw the grin appear on Angelo's face as he pronounced the words. Reaching over to the other single bed in the room, he tapped Steve on the shoulder.
The former sweeper, who was planning to travel back to his family the following day, sat up rapidly in bed.
"What's going on?"
"It's...I'm not sure. It's as though Angelo is channeling Jarod."
Steve thought for a few seconds and then grinned. "Oh, now I understand."
"Well, I'm glad one of us does!" the psychiatrist snapped.
"Calm down, Syd. Now listen," foreseeing a long night, the man made himself comfortable. "Do you remember how we found out about an ability that Miss Parker had to hear her mother's voice? She and Ethan?"
"Of course. Well?" Sydney thought for a moment. "Oh, I get it. Jarod's decided that he can't let her be the only gifted one."
Angelo’s mouth twisted into a grin, but his eyes sparkled with something that looked like indignation. "Are you implying that I'm...?"
"Jealous, yes."
"Very funny, Sydney. Now listen. I want you to be able to do this of your own accord, without Angelo having to act as my mouth. Try to work out what I'm sending you."
Sydney waited and, suddenly, his mind was filled with a strange emotion.
Peace.
The psychiatrist felt this, as it crept into his mind, and knew that it was coming from Jarod. As it grew, fearing what would come next, Sydney tensed and instantly the feeling vanished. Angelo let out a small sound that was like a laugh as he settled on the end of the bed.
"I'm not going to hurt you, Sydney. Shall we try it again? I won't do it if you don't want to."
"I want to."
Sydney relaxed and felt the waves of emotion become stronger in his mind. Then, suddenly, an image appeared on the edges of his mind. Sydney jumped as the mouth of the figure opened. 'Can you hear this?'
"Yes. Please don't do it again." Sydney was forced to speak the words, both to justify his actions to the others in the room and to calm himself down.
'Don't say the words,' Jarod’s voice stated in his head. 'Try to imagine yourself saying them. Build up a picture in your mind and try to send it to me.'
'Like a parcel.'
'Exactly.'
Suddenly the words passing between the two were shattered by a sound that Sydney did not recognize but which Jarod certainly did, as the bell that announced a room inspection.
"Damn." Angelo spoke the words, which also echoed in Sydney's head. "I have to go. Things to do, people to see."
'Places to go?' asked Sydney silently and with a smile.
'You might say that.' Jarod's words were strangely curt, and then there was silence.
