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Chapter or Story 
Chapter or Story
Disclaimer: see Chapter sixteen
~~~~~~~~
To End The Evil
Part 22
Gut feelings and leaving England
Jarod sighed when he snapped the phone shut. He really hoped that Parker would get the meaning. He had faith in her. She was a pretender after all. Maybe she would need some time to figure out the meaning behind their conversation but eventually she would get it… hopefully.
She would definitely be puzzled by his call at first. He had directed the call to their usual banter. It was the only way for him to give her some information without making the Centre suspicious.
The rest was up to her. He would have to be careful when he called her the next time.
He was just glad that she had played their game without question. The Centre would never know that she was puzzled by that call. They wouldn’t pay attention to the slight frown that was apparent in her voice if you only listened hard enough.
He smiled. She knew how to play their game; he had to give her credit for that.
Jarod breathed deeply and straightened. He would get something to eat first and then get himself the Archaeology magazine with the article about the Scrolls. It would definitely be interesting to read it.
After that, he would have to make some decisions! And eventually he would also make the time to study the Scrolls.
He got his leather jacket and walked out of the hotel room.
~~~~~~~
She was about to walk into the Centre, when the doors suddenly opened and several sweepers hurried out. Lyle was walking at the end of the group. The moment he was about to pass Parker, she determinedly stepped into his path.
He stopped, annoyed. “What do you want, Parker?”
“What are you up to, Lyle, hurrying along like this?” Parker countered.
“None of your business!” he snapped.
She merely glared at him. “Where are you off to?” she emphasized each word.
He crooked his head. “The Centre is a big cooperation, Miss Parker. You are not responsible for everything,” he paused and smiled smugly, “but come to think of it… you ‘are’ responsible for your constant failure concerning Jarod’s capture!”
She growled at him but didn’t leave.
He scowled and moved a step to the side to walk around Parker.
She turned to watch him go. She didn’t like that.
~~~~~~~
After a rather lengthy sightseeing tour Jarod returned to the hotel at noon. He had decided to take a short break from all the excitement and get a look at the city.
Jarod unhurriedly walked through the spacious lobby of the hotel. For once he had chosen a fancy hotel to stay in. He scanned the area, not seeing anything or anyone suspicious.
He huffed and got to the elevator. Before the doors closed and the elevator went upwards, Jarod scanned the lobby once again.
‘Old habits die hard’, he thought and tried to calm down, breathing deliberately in and out.
Jarod attempted to smile but somehow it didn’t turn out that way.
He hit the button for the elevator to stop on the next level and got out of the cabin the moment the doors opened. He shook his head and went to the staircase to make his way down again.
Maybe he was just being paranoid but something felt not right.
He opened the door to the lobby and scanned the area once more. Still everything was calm.
Jarod made his way over to the desk.
“Mr. Alborne,“ the clerk greeted him.
“Yes, sorry to disturb you,“ Jarod smiled.
“That’s no problem. How can I help you?” she asked.
“How much time do you need to prepare my bill?” Jarod enquired.
“You want to leave us? But you just got here yesterday and I thought you wanted to stay several days?” she looked at him incredulously.
“Yeah, I know, but something came up. I have to leave at once. I got a call from my company and they told me to head back to America,” he lied smoothly.
“Oh, well. What a shame. Your account will be ready in about fifteen minutes then,“ she replied.
“Thanks,” Jarod said and turned away from the counter.
Walking over to the elevator again, he clenched his teeth.
He didn’t really want to leave the hotel. The reasonable side of his brain told him that the Centre couldn’t possibly be that fast and come here. The article was just published but still his gut was telling him to go and he had long ago learned to listen to what his gut told him.
It had saved his butt several times. Now that he had the Scrolls he didn’t want to endanger his safety. It would be stupid to do so. Not only his own safety but also Parker’s would be at stake and they would never see the Scrolls again if they fell into the Centre’s hands.
He got out of the elevator and made his way to the room. He didn’t need much time to get his few belongings together. The duffle bag wasn’t even unpacked for he had had no time to do that. He put the laptop into its case and put it into the duffle bag. After that he stowed the Scrolls away.
He surveyed the room to ensure that he didn’t forget anything, grabbed the duffle and his DSA case and left the room.
The fifteen minutes the clerk had proposed were not over yet but he went down there however.
Jarod went over to take a seat in the lobby. He took out the Archaeology magazine he had purchased after breakfast and started reading.
From time to time he glanced over his reading to ensure that he was still safe.
There was busy movement in the hall. People were coming and going. Nothing indicated that his foreboding might come true. But then again, Jarod didn’t have the desire to find out if he was just being overly anxious or if there was something to his gut feeling. He supposed that the Centre wouldn’t find this place that fast but he wanted to get moving nonetheless.
He tried to deepen himself in the reading again but he couldn’t concentrate on it. He grumbled and put the magazine away. Getting up from his seat he walked over to the counter.
“Ah, Mr. Albourne. Your account is just finished,” the clerk said.
“Very well,“ Jarod replied. He quickly paid his bill and strode out of the hotel.
~~~~~~~~
The clicking of her heels echoed through the hall. She strode confidently in the middle of the corridor.
The people walking into the other direction scurried out of her way the moment they say her.
She was used to have things her way and nobody dared opposing her.
She went into the tech room.
“Broots,” she snapped.
The tech winced when he heard her voice. He spilled the cup of coffee he was holding over his shirt. “Argh”, he cried out on pain. “M-m-miss Parker!”
“Broots”, she looked at his shirt in frustration. “I want you to do something for me!” she ordered.
Broots swallowed hard. That wasn’t good. When Miss Parker said something like that he was usually in trouble. In front of his minds eye he saw himself sneaking into Mr. Raines office. He started sweating.
“Broots, stop shivering! You look as if you want to creep into a hole in the floor,” she observed.
“Maybe that’s because it ‘is’ what I would like to do now,” he mumbled.
“You should grow a backbone one of these days!” she said, exasperated. “But now back to why I came: I want you to determine why Lyle just strode out of the Centre, a predatory smile on his face. I want you to find out what he is up to!”
Broots gulped. “Y-yes, Miss Parker!”
She turned. “So, what are you waiting for? Call me if you have anything!” With that she walked out of the tech room.
~~~~~~~
Suddenly, everything got dark. But only a moment later, the overhead lights went on, illuminating the inside of the train.
They had just entered the Euro channel which connects France and Britain. The tunnel goes below the Channel, under the water.
Jarod had decided to leave England and go over to the European continent. He had opted to go there by train. Even if he didn’t think the Centre that fast he wanted to be on the safe side. They may have an eye on the airports but he couldn’t believe that they would observe the train stations by now.
Finally relaxing somewhat he leaned back in his seat and considered what to do next.
He wanted to stay in France for some time, stay close to the coast and rent a small house or something like that.
There he would have enough time to get a look at the Scrolls and be out of the Centre’s clutches.
~~~~~~~
Parker walked into the sim lab, quickly localizing Sydney, reading some journal. She went up to him.
“Freud!”
“Miss Parker. Good morning. What can I do for you?” Sydney asked.
“Did Jarod call you again?” Parker asked.
“No, why?” Sydney replied cautiously.
Parker turned on her heel. “I was just wondering. Tell me if he does call!” she ordered, throwing a dismissive hand over her shoulder.
Sydney watched her go.
~~~~~~~
She strode towards the office.
“Hey, stop! You can’t go in there now! He is busy,“ the secretary tried to block her way.
She walked up to him and glared him in the eye.
“I don’t give a flying rats ass if he is busy or not. He will make the time!” she hissed.
He didn’t back away. “He has a meeting!”
“Yes, he sure has. With me,“ with that she pushed the secretary out of her way and walked into the office.
“Miss Parker,“ Raines wheezed when he saw her.
“Oh, you can see. Then you are not as ill as I thought,” she drawled sarcastically.
“Why are… you here? I… didn’t send for you!” he rasped.
“As if that ever mattered. I got a call from Jarod last night. I just wanted to report that. He didn’t say where he was and there aren’t any other clues as to his whereabouts,“ she said.
She turned, not waiting for Raines to dismiss her, and left Raines speechless in his office.
~~~~~~~
When she was in her office she sank into her chair.
She buried her head in her hands, blocking the surveillance camera’s view, and grinned. She sure had confused Raines.
She knew that they needed to keep up appearances. With her going to him, she wasn’t exactly sticking to her profile. On the other hand they didn’t need the Centre suspicious.
He certainly knew from the call and she needed to report it. They needed for the Centre to think she was still loyal to them. At least for as long as possible.
She straightened and reached for some files lying on her desk. She had some work to do. Or at least she needed to pretend that she had work to do. She grinned slightly at that thought.
Parker had been working at the files for several hours, when there was a knock on the door.
“What?” She snapped her usual greeting.
“M-m-miss Parker, I f-f-found the information you wanted,“ Broots stammered, coming further into the room. Sydney was walking behind him.
“Well? What is my idiot brother up to?” she asked.
“You better look for yourself,” Broots said, giving her a file.
Parker suspiciously looked at Broots, who seemed to cower even more by that, and then quickly looked into the file. Sydney observed her quietly.
She read through the file and suddenly threw it onto the table.
Broots jumped up when the folder connected with the surface. Both men could see that she was seething with anger.
Parker got up and paced.
So that was where Lyle was headed. England. They had found the Scrolls. No wonder that he didn’t want her to get in his way.
She quickly looked at her watch and growled. Even if they started now they wouldn’t reach England in time. They didn’t have the slightest chance to be faster than Lyle. Damn!
Parker hoped that Jarod had read that article the file was about, too.
She contemplated calling him but if he wasn’t already on his way he wouldn’t make it in time, too.
On the other hand, knowing Jarod, he was possibly on his way to England that very moment to be faster than the Centre.
She could only hope he was.
~~~~~~~
Jarod sank into the chair he had bought out on the terrace. Enjoying the sunset he snuggled deeper into the seat and breathed in deeply. The air was filled with the smell of salt and water and there was a soft wind blowing over from the Atlantic Ocean.
He had found the small house with a beautiful view above the ocean. Upon arriving at Calais he had rented a car with another new passport and started driving down the coast.
When the sun had vanished behind the horizon, he got up and walked into the house.
He switched on the light and went over to his duffle bag to boot up his laptop. He wanted to get a look on what went on in the Centre. He needed to know if they had seen and reacted upon the article. He didn’t dare to call Parker for it was just noon in Blue Cove and she surely was at the Centre. Even if they didn’t bug her cell they would keep a close eye on her.
He hacked into the mainframe and smiled.
They had indeed seen the article. And they had reacted upon it! Currently, there were several sweeper teams on their way to England.
‘And guess who is with them?’ he thought. “Good old Lyle,“ he murmured. “Obviously they don’t trust Parker anymore and left her out of the loop.”
From the information the mainframe provided, Jarod couldn’t determine if they had a clue on what was really going on. He would have to wait.
He shut his connection to the mainframe down but left the laptop running.
Jarod straightened and went to his duffle bag once more to retrieve the Scrolls.
He knew without a doubt that Parker would not be pleased that he studied the Scrolls without her but he needed to know. He needed to find out what they said and if reading them triggered a memory in his head that would bring them closer to their goal.
After lighting a fire in the fireplace he sat down on the couch and stared at the documents in his hand.
He breathed and started reading.
To be continued…
~~~~~~~~
Part 22
Gut feelings and leaving England
Jarod sighed when he snapped the phone shut. He really hoped that Parker would get the meaning. He had faith in her. She was a pretender after all. Maybe she would need some time to figure out the meaning behind their conversation but eventually she would get it… hopefully.
She would definitely be puzzled by his call at first. He had directed the call to their usual banter. It was the only way for him to give her some information without making the Centre suspicious.
The rest was up to her. He would have to be careful when he called her the next time.
He was just glad that she had played their game without question. The Centre would never know that she was puzzled by that call. They wouldn’t pay attention to the slight frown that was apparent in her voice if you only listened hard enough.
He smiled. She knew how to play their game; he had to give her credit for that.
Jarod breathed deeply and straightened. He would get something to eat first and then get himself the Archaeology magazine with the article about the Scrolls. It would definitely be interesting to read it.
After that, he would have to make some decisions! And eventually he would also make the time to study the Scrolls.
He got his leather jacket and walked out of the hotel room.
~~~~~~~
She was about to walk into the Centre, when the doors suddenly opened and several sweepers hurried out. Lyle was walking at the end of the group. The moment he was about to pass Parker, she determinedly stepped into his path.
He stopped, annoyed. “What do you want, Parker?”
“What are you up to, Lyle, hurrying along like this?” Parker countered.
“None of your business!” he snapped.
She merely glared at him. “Where are you off to?” she emphasized each word.
He crooked his head. “The Centre is a big cooperation, Miss Parker. You are not responsible for everything,” he paused and smiled smugly, “but come to think of it… you ‘are’ responsible for your constant failure concerning Jarod’s capture!”
She growled at him but didn’t leave.
He scowled and moved a step to the side to walk around Parker.
She turned to watch him go. She didn’t like that.
~~~~~~~
After a rather lengthy sightseeing tour Jarod returned to the hotel at noon. He had decided to take a short break from all the excitement and get a look at the city.
Jarod unhurriedly walked through the spacious lobby of the hotel. For once he had chosen a fancy hotel to stay in. He scanned the area, not seeing anything or anyone suspicious.
He huffed and got to the elevator. Before the doors closed and the elevator went upwards, Jarod scanned the lobby once again.
‘Old habits die hard’, he thought and tried to calm down, breathing deliberately in and out.
Jarod attempted to smile but somehow it didn’t turn out that way.
He hit the button for the elevator to stop on the next level and got out of the cabin the moment the doors opened. He shook his head and went to the staircase to make his way down again.
Maybe he was just being paranoid but something felt not right.
He opened the door to the lobby and scanned the area once more. Still everything was calm.
Jarod made his way over to the desk.
“Mr. Alborne,“ the clerk greeted him.
“Yes, sorry to disturb you,“ Jarod smiled.
“That’s no problem. How can I help you?” she asked.
“How much time do you need to prepare my bill?” Jarod enquired.
“You want to leave us? But you just got here yesterday and I thought you wanted to stay several days?” she looked at him incredulously.
“Yeah, I know, but something came up. I have to leave at once. I got a call from my company and they told me to head back to America,” he lied smoothly.
“Oh, well. What a shame. Your account will be ready in about fifteen minutes then,“ she replied.
“Thanks,” Jarod said and turned away from the counter.
Walking over to the elevator again, he clenched his teeth.
He didn’t really want to leave the hotel. The reasonable side of his brain told him that the Centre couldn’t possibly be that fast and come here. The article was just published but still his gut was telling him to go and he had long ago learned to listen to what his gut told him.
It had saved his butt several times. Now that he had the Scrolls he didn’t want to endanger his safety. It would be stupid to do so. Not only his own safety but also Parker’s would be at stake and they would never see the Scrolls again if they fell into the Centre’s hands.
He got out of the elevator and made his way to the room. He didn’t need much time to get his few belongings together. The duffle bag wasn’t even unpacked for he had had no time to do that. He put the laptop into its case and put it into the duffle bag. After that he stowed the Scrolls away.
He surveyed the room to ensure that he didn’t forget anything, grabbed the duffle and his DSA case and left the room.
The fifteen minutes the clerk had proposed were not over yet but he went down there however.
Jarod went over to take a seat in the lobby. He took out the Archaeology magazine he had purchased after breakfast and started reading.
From time to time he glanced over his reading to ensure that he was still safe.
There was busy movement in the hall. People were coming and going. Nothing indicated that his foreboding might come true. But then again, Jarod didn’t have the desire to find out if he was just being overly anxious or if there was something to his gut feeling. He supposed that the Centre wouldn’t find this place that fast but he wanted to get moving nonetheless.
He tried to deepen himself in the reading again but he couldn’t concentrate on it. He grumbled and put the magazine away. Getting up from his seat he walked over to the counter.
“Ah, Mr. Albourne. Your account is just finished,” the clerk said.
“Very well,“ Jarod replied. He quickly paid his bill and strode out of the hotel.
~~~~~~~~
The clicking of her heels echoed through the hall. She strode confidently in the middle of the corridor.
The people walking into the other direction scurried out of her way the moment they say her.
She was used to have things her way and nobody dared opposing her.
She went into the tech room.
“Broots,” she snapped.
The tech winced when he heard her voice. He spilled the cup of coffee he was holding over his shirt. “Argh”, he cried out on pain. “M-m-miss Parker!”
“Broots”, she looked at his shirt in frustration. “I want you to do something for me!” she ordered.
Broots swallowed hard. That wasn’t good. When Miss Parker said something like that he was usually in trouble. In front of his minds eye he saw himself sneaking into Mr. Raines office. He started sweating.
“Broots, stop shivering! You look as if you want to creep into a hole in the floor,” she observed.
“Maybe that’s because it ‘is’ what I would like to do now,” he mumbled.
“You should grow a backbone one of these days!” she said, exasperated. “But now back to why I came: I want you to determine why Lyle just strode out of the Centre, a predatory smile on his face. I want you to find out what he is up to!”
Broots gulped. “Y-yes, Miss Parker!”
She turned. “So, what are you waiting for? Call me if you have anything!” With that she walked out of the tech room.
~~~~~~~
Suddenly, everything got dark. But only a moment later, the overhead lights went on, illuminating the inside of the train.
They had just entered the Euro channel which connects France and Britain. The tunnel goes below the Channel, under the water.
Jarod had decided to leave England and go over to the European continent. He had opted to go there by train. Even if he didn’t think the Centre that fast he wanted to be on the safe side. They may have an eye on the airports but he couldn’t believe that they would observe the train stations by now.
Finally relaxing somewhat he leaned back in his seat and considered what to do next.
He wanted to stay in France for some time, stay close to the coast and rent a small house or something like that.
There he would have enough time to get a look at the Scrolls and be out of the Centre’s clutches.
~~~~~~~
Parker walked into the sim lab, quickly localizing Sydney, reading some journal. She went up to him.
“Freud!”
“Miss Parker. Good morning. What can I do for you?” Sydney asked.
“Did Jarod call you again?” Parker asked.
“No, why?” Sydney replied cautiously.
Parker turned on her heel. “I was just wondering. Tell me if he does call!” she ordered, throwing a dismissive hand over her shoulder.
Sydney watched her go.
~~~~~~~
She strode towards the office.
“Hey, stop! You can’t go in there now! He is busy,“ the secretary tried to block her way.
She walked up to him and glared him in the eye.
“I don’t give a flying rats ass if he is busy or not. He will make the time!” she hissed.
He didn’t back away. “He has a meeting!”
“Yes, he sure has. With me,“ with that she pushed the secretary out of her way and walked into the office.
“Miss Parker,“ Raines wheezed when he saw her.
“Oh, you can see. Then you are not as ill as I thought,” she drawled sarcastically.
“Why are… you here? I… didn’t send for you!” he rasped.
“As if that ever mattered. I got a call from Jarod last night. I just wanted to report that. He didn’t say where he was and there aren’t any other clues as to his whereabouts,“ she said.
She turned, not waiting for Raines to dismiss her, and left Raines speechless in his office.
~~~~~~~
When she was in her office she sank into her chair.
She buried her head in her hands, blocking the surveillance camera’s view, and grinned. She sure had confused Raines.
She knew that they needed to keep up appearances. With her going to him, she wasn’t exactly sticking to her profile. On the other hand they didn’t need the Centre suspicious.
He certainly knew from the call and she needed to report it. They needed for the Centre to think she was still loyal to them. At least for as long as possible.
She straightened and reached for some files lying on her desk. She had some work to do. Or at least she needed to pretend that she had work to do. She grinned slightly at that thought.
Parker had been working at the files for several hours, when there was a knock on the door.
“What?” She snapped her usual greeting.
“M-m-miss Parker, I f-f-found the information you wanted,“ Broots stammered, coming further into the room. Sydney was walking behind him.
“Well? What is my idiot brother up to?” she asked.
“You better look for yourself,” Broots said, giving her a file.
Parker suspiciously looked at Broots, who seemed to cower even more by that, and then quickly looked into the file. Sydney observed her quietly.
She read through the file and suddenly threw it onto the table.
Broots jumped up when the folder connected with the surface. Both men could see that she was seething with anger.
Parker got up and paced.
So that was where Lyle was headed. England. They had found the Scrolls. No wonder that he didn’t want her to get in his way.
She quickly looked at her watch and growled. Even if they started now they wouldn’t reach England in time. They didn’t have the slightest chance to be faster than Lyle. Damn!
Parker hoped that Jarod had read that article the file was about, too.
She contemplated calling him but if he wasn’t already on his way he wouldn’t make it in time, too.
On the other hand, knowing Jarod, he was possibly on his way to England that very moment to be faster than the Centre.
She could only hope he was.
~~~~~~~
Jarod sank into the chair he had bought out on the terrace. Enjoying the sunset he snuggled deeper into the seat and breathed in deeply. The air was filled with the smell of salt and water and there was a soft wind blowing over from the Atlantic Ocean.
He had found the small house with a beautiful view above the ocean. Upon arriving at Calais he had rented a car with another new passport and started driving down the coast.
When the sun had vanished behind the horizon, he got up and walked into the house.
He switched on the light and went over to his duffle bag to boot up his laptop. He wanted to get a look on what went on in the Centre. He needed to know if they had seen and reacted upon the article. He didn’t dare to call Parker for it was just noon in Blue Cove and she surely was at the Centre. Even if they didn’t bug her cell they would keep a close eye on her.
He hacked into the mainframe and smiled.
They had indeed seen the article. And they had reacted upon it! Currently, there were several sweeper teams on their way to England.
‘And guess who is with them?’ he thought. “Good old Lyle,“ he murmured. “Obviously they don’t trust Parker anymore and left her out of the loop.”
From the information the mainframe provided, Jarod couldn’t determine if they had a clue on what was really going on. He would have to wait.
He shut his connection to the mainframe down but left the laptop running.
Jarod straightened and went to his duffle bag once more to retrieve the Scrolls.
He knew without a doubt that Parker would not be pleased that he studied the Scrolls without her but he needed to know. He needed to find out what they said and if reading them triggered a memory in his head that would bring them closer to their goal.
After lighting a fire in the fireplace he sat down on the couch and stared at the documents in his hand.
He breathed and started reading.
To be continued…
