Alex closed his phone, wondering once again how Lyle had managed to get to the position he currently held in the Centre. The man had allowed Miss Parker to take Jarod and had managed in the process to loose her. He was sure that the thumbless man would try and threaten her if she didn’t return the pretender to the Centre. But he knew better. Jarod knew full well what he needed to do in order to save his sister’s life. Speaking of which, she was currently glaring at him. He leaned over, returning her glare until she looked away. Deciding that he could have some fun, he removed her gag and leaned back, wondering amusingly what her first words would be.

She coughed for a bit, the feel of cotton still present in her dry mouth, before looking up.
"Thank you," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm, again staring into his eyes, trying to determine if she should feel more or less secure with Jarod's drug administrator than with Lyle, the man who threw her off a building.

Alex gave her his most charming smile. “Ever been on drugs?”

Less, she concluded, definitively less.

"Not unless caffeine counts," she retorted, struggeling to keep calm despite the fear of being put on whatever mixture he had cooked up for Jarod.

“Any medical history, allergies…that sort of thing?”

"Pistachios," she said quietly. "I'm allergic to pistachios."

Alex tilted his head slightly. “I believe Jarod’s allergic to them also. Did you know that?”

She carefully shook her head. What did he want from her? She really doubted the only reason he had her alone and handcuffed in a car was so he could have someone to talk to.

Leaning menacingly closer, Alex asked, “So what exactly do you know about big brother?”

She had to swallow to keep the bile down as he leaned closer to her, but quickly composed herself. "I know that he was kidnapped by the people you work for and held prisoner for decades. Any other little crumb I might have picked up along the way is really none of your concern Mr...whatever your name is."

“Alex,” he answered. He slid his hand lightly along her jaw line while he scrutinised her reaction. “I’d like to know what these….’crumbs’ are. No titbit is unimportant where your brother is concerned.” Grabbing her jaw, he held her tight as he leaned even closer, “And don’t make the mistake of withholding that information. I will know it….sooner or later.”

She quickly decided this was not the right time to establish her resistance against the Centre, and started sharing. "I know that he is highly intelligent, so intelligent in fact that to this very day his capturers still underestimates his abilities. I know that despite your employer's best efforts he still cares for the world around him, and does what he can to help. That he loves candy and toys and in many ways is still a child. And I know that he's been looking for his family from the day he escaped, but every time we get close to finding each other, people like you see to it that it will never happen." She sighed, "What do you want with me Alex?"

“Not yet,” Alex said. “Have you never wondered why the Centre is keeping your family apart?”

"It's The Centre, they don't need a reason," She said sharply, no longer in the mood to answer his, rather intrusive questions. But the look he sent her told her it wasn't good enough. She shook her head, "By the time I was born Jarod and Kyle were kidnapped, I've grown up running. Sometimes you can't help but wonder..." She looked away, "Wonder why things are the way they are."

Alex grinned. “What if I told you that I know why your brother will never be permitted to meet with his mother? That he will never be free of the Centre or have a normal family life.”

She cocked an eyebrow, he obviously wanted her to feel like he knew more than her. Whether that was true or not was a whole other issue. "We all know 'normal' isn't an option at this point, you don't just forget 30 years of pain over night." she said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Question is, are you telling me this to see what I'll do in return for this supposed information, or to observe my reaction once you give me the answer?"

Alex chuckled in amusement. “Getting brave, aren’t we? I wonder, what will you be prepared to do in return for knowing these big secrets that not even your so-called genius of brother had figured out yet. The reason why the Centre had been chasing him all these years."

She scowled, deciding the best answer was no answer at all. Besides she thought this was already settled: Jarod was a genius, they had spent decades training him, molding his gift into what they wanted it to be. Wasn't that reason enough to want him back?

Not at all fazed by her silence, Alex took out a black pouch. Keeping an eye on her reaction, he took out a syringe and selected a bottle. He drew the liquid quickly and expertly, making sure that no air bubbles remained in the syringe. He shifted closer, trapping her body against the seat. He enjoyed the fear that he saw in her eyes as he prepared to inject her.

“Maybe when you come out of this, you’ll ask me again.” Injecting the liquid, he leaned in when he was done, and just before her eyes closed he whispered, “And just maybe…I’ll answer your question.”

--

Cox seemed bored. It had been only one hour and he seemed more fidgety than Sydney was. Something had changed. They had gone through the same rigmarole as before, less passionate with more charades. With both Miss Parker and Broots gone, Sydney knew he had to exhibit complete control over himself. It was easy to kill time, mentally chanting the code Broots had risked his life in giving to him. 'D3XWQ//!O' over and over again. Poor Broots. He hoped the tech was faring all right on his own.

Sydney tapped his fingers on the edge of the table. He could be a very patient person but wasting time was always annoying. Jarod needed him. Sydney had as much necessary faith in Miss Parker as he could, but her loyalties were to her family and the Centre. She had proven this time and again. It was exactly why Sydney needed to do his own investigating for Jarod. Hopefully, Miss Parker would come through and do her best to clear Broots and himself as quickly as she could. And if anyone could do that, she was the one. That, he knew he could trust in.

--

The silence in the car was deafening. Jarod continued to glare at the back of Miss Parker's head, hoping that she was feeling the heat in his eyes. He couldn't believe that she had actually hit him. He was used to being treated that way by Lyle, but never from his best friend. 'Or make that former best friend,' he thought to himself. He yanked the headrest in front of him angrily.

"Stop that," she ordered.

He yanked again and again and then for good measure started hitting the back of the seat with his free hand.

"Let me out of this," he demanded. "My arm is starting to hurt being held like this. And for what, so you can feel good about keeping me locked up? To think I thought you were my best friend. But no, you're just like your brother!"

And with that, he sat back as far as he could, started kicking at the back of both seats and glared some more at the back of Parker's head.