"Two months after the antidote is administered, the virus...it ... comes back!" Jonathan's excited voice echoed through the infirmary. Everyone watched as Dr. Grey grabbed his assistant and pulled him from the room.

"Shut up!" Dr. Grey commanded and ripped off Jonathan's surgical face mask as they walked briskly. "Idiot! Fool! What were you thinking!"

"I'm ... I'm sorry." Jonathan muttered.

"Don't ever speak of the virus and antidote in the same breath again! Understood?" He barged though the door of the lab, Johnathan followed a few steps behind.

"Yes." Jonathan cowered.

"Now what do you mean the virus comes back?" Dr. Grey's eyes were cold.

"All the test subjects treated with the antidote two months ago are exhibiting early signs and symptoms of the infection. Preliminary tests show a possible virus mutation." Jonathan shivered and handed over the lab results.

****
Three men watched the monitor display of Dr. Grey as he scanned the lab results.
"I can see why you said this was urgent. How old is this footage?" Lyle asked.

"Less then twenty minutes. I never did trust that man." Mr. Parker grimaced and continued. "Damn good thing we installed that hidden camera."

'Tell no one, especially not Mr. Lyle, Mr. Parker or Raines.' The doctor's assistant nervously shook his head.

"But I thought we were to answer only to them ..."

'No one told you to think. You answer only to me. Just because they think they're in charge doesn't mean they are." He glared at Jonathan and shoved the results back to him. "Destroy these."

"We should .... never have relied ... on someone .... from the outside. " Raines wheezed.

"We need to quarantine those who were infected and received the antidote. " Mr. Parker sighed.

"And Miss Parker?" Lyle asked with a worried look. Not that he was fond of his sister but having her around acted as a buffer which deflected some of the heat from him.

"Including Miss Parker." Raines wheezed.

"Lyle, find out all you can about the lab results and the progress they are making. Turn that over to Raines. You still have Dr. Grey’s preliminary paperwork?" Mr. Parker's eyes narrowed.

"I have everything ...including a sample." Raines wheezed. "Virus mutation was...always one of my specialties."

Lyle squirmed. He hated dealing with unknowns and viruses were in his book a unknown factor you couldn't trust. A gun, a simple 'accident', the promise of a missing body part, terrorizing his victims .... those were things he felt comfortable with . Keep it simple, dependable. If they had, they wouldn't have been in the predicament they were in now. But tower involvement changed the rules of the game.

"I'll take care of Miss Parker." Mr. Parker clenched his teeth. As he had learned with Catherine, sacrifices, even painful ones had to be made to survive .

"My opinion is .... that the best incentive .... to find a cure is .... to give the good doctor .... a dose of his own medicine." Raines’ hollow eyes lite up. "I say we up the stakes. .... As for the Tower, .... it may be a way to eliminate .... those who oppose us. Either way ... it'll be a win/win situation"

***
"No luck yet Sydney. I've gone over the information Jarod gave you before he slipped into a coma." Broots looked up from his keyboard and shook his head. " And just when I think I'm getting into his computer at AJO, I end up going in circles. It's like someone doesn't want us in there."

"Keep trying. Jarod said he had deciphered the genetic code of the artificially engineered virus and begun working on the necessary immune response when Miss Parker caught him." He placed a hand on Broots' shoulder. "I'll check on Miss Parker. Let me know when you get in."

"Uh," Broots cleared his throat. "I heard Mr. Parker paid her a visit."
*****


He took a deep breath and entered Miss Parker's office .
"How are you?"

"I'll survive, I always do." She smiled slightly as she packed her brief case. "Tired but still with the living."

"What did your father want?" Sydney approached the desk and sat down in one of the chairs.

"Nosy aren't we? " She snapped but softened when she saw his weary face. "You look like hell. How's Jarod? "

"Not good." He rubbed his tired face and changed the subject. "Tell me, how much do you remember from the time you were sick?"

"The flu?"

"Is that what your father said?" She shook her head 'yes'. " What else did he say?"

"Just that he was worried about me. He suggested I take a few days off and rest at home. When I come back, we'll discuss a new assignment."

"And the new assignment?" Sydney reached for a thick folder with a Level A clearance stamp.

"Why?" She retrieved it quickly.

"Think about it. Your father tells you that you had the flu. " Sydney leaned forward. "Well...don't you think it seems more logical that you had whatever disease Jarod has?"

"Do you think I would still be walking if I did?" She shot back and then cringed when she saw the hurt look in his eyes. “I didn’t mean it like that. I’m just tired.”

He shook his head and continued. "So there was nothing odd about his behavior?"

"Only when I tried to hug him he backed away, saying I might still be contagious." She frowned. "Why is it that you always over-react when my father shows me any attention Syd? If you want to worry about someone, worry about Jarod. We all knew it was only a matter of time before your labrat would be caught."

"Because something is wrong here." He removed a phlebotomy kit from his pocket. "I'd like to run some lab work on you."

"I've been poked enough Freud." She shook her head no.

"Humor me Parker." He stood up. "Please."

The look in his eyes told her he wasn't taking 'no' for an answer, so she extended her arm. As he tighten the tourniquet around her upper arm, her chest tighten with fear, her senses suddenly on alert and a sickening knot in her stomach ...not a fear of needles but the fear one feels when faced with death. The way it danced around you, griped your chest like a vice. Blurred faces and muffled voices appeared like a vision. She jerked her arm away .

"Are you alright?" Sydney asked with concern, as he noticed her pale features and a fine sweat on her brow.

" I can't do this. Another time Sydney." The struggle to clear the vision from her mind and steady herself took all her effort. At that moment Sam stuck his head inside the door.

"Ready Miss Parker?"

****
"I trust you took care of the assignment I gave you ?" Mr. Parker glanced at Lyle.

"Taken care of. Dr. Grey can't even run a routine urine sample without Raines getting the results. " Lyle smiled.

"Good." Mr. Parker's phone rang. "Yes? Angel ...That's my girl! .... stay home and rest. Now if you're not up to working on the Cobalt project..." Mr. Parker raised a finger to his lips as Raines came in to the room.

"Good!" He smiled and continued in a fatherly manner. "Oh, and sweetheart, I don't want a word of this to anyone, not even Sydney. When the time is right, you can tell him yourself." He hung up on her.

"Why does ... Miss Parker have ... the Cobalt project?" Raines demanded.

"Cobalt project?" Lyle asked.

"A medium level ...project that ...was aborted months ago." Raines glared at Mr. Parker.

"We need something to keep her occupied and out of the Centre.” Mr Parker answered. “She's like her mother and the Cobalt project is something that will appeal to her. Just as it would have to Catherine. If and when she finds out it's been aborted, I'll deal with it then. "

"Catherine was too ... meddlesome for her own ...good." Raines sucked in a deep breath as he stared Mr. Parker in the eye. "So is ... Miss Parker. How long... do you think ... you can keep her in the dark?"

"Long enough! You forget, this time she doesn't have Jarod's help. Without him or Sydney to meddle, we should be able to keep her out of the Centre until we decide what to do with her." He growled. "And for her sake, hope that you're a better doctor then Dr. Grey."