Chapter 17

            The rough-hewn stone steps of Hyrbid Biotract 42 were warm where the sun hit them.  Sitting in one of these patches of sunshine, Sydney took off his suit jacket and slung it over his shoulder.  It was a shame that not many people saw this area of the Centre, but that just made the location all the better for a clandestine meeting; he was glad Miss Parker had suggested it.  The profusion of pink and white azaleas lining the path below him were a pleasant change from the drab, cavern-like walls that were his normal view from his office windows.  A slight breeze touched his face and Sydney closed his eyes, reveling in the feel of fresh air in the middle of a work day.

            “Late night, Syd?”

            Sydney opened his eyes, feeling a twinge of unease upon seeing Miss Parker standing at the base of the steps.  He should be more careful; he hadn’t heard her approach.  Of course, she could move with cat-like stealth when necessary and always had a smooth, graceful gait – perhaps inherited from her mother who had been a dancer in her youth.  Miss Parker’s outfit today – a leopard-print V-neck and brown leather mini skirt – served to accentuate her similarity to a jungle cat.

            “Just thinking,” he said, as she seemed to float up the stairs in her high-heeled boots and settled next to him.  “Jarod would love it out here.  He once told me that after he first escaped from the Centre five years ago, he would spend hours outside, just to experience the smell of fresh air and the feel of the sun on his skin.”

            “Well, he was raised in a dungeon, so who can blame him?  Hopefully, he’ll soon be able to experience the joys of the great outdoors all over again.”

            Sydney decided to answer what she hadn’t asked.  “I haven’t seen Jarod since Friday, but I checked with the infirmary, and they gave him a clean bill of health.  No lasting effects from the electric shocks.”

            “Good.” 

            He knew her well enough to sense that she was still troubled by what had taken place in the sim lab last Friday.  “What about you?” he asked gently.  “Are you alright?”

            She looked at him, surprised.  “Me?  I wasn’t the one getting shocked.”

            “Not physically, no.”

            She let out an exasperated sigh.  “Look, Sydney, I appreciate your concern, but I don’t have time for a session right now.  Why don’t we concentrate on making what Jarod went through last Friday worth it and work on the plan to get him the hell out of here?”

            “I agree,” he said.  He really hadn’t expected her to open up about her feelings, but he would never stop giving her the opportunity to do so.  “Jarod is doing his part and not making trouble.  I understand he started working on a new assignment yesterday for the CDC.”

            “The CDC?” Miss Parker echoed with some alarm.  “Not another virus?”

            Her reaction told him she still hadn’t dealt with the trauma of almost dying from the African virus, not to mention the shock of discovering her own brother had infected her.  “No, it’s nothing to do with disease,” Sydney quickly assured her.  “The CDC is upgrading its security systems.  The firm they hired has subcontracted the Centre to look for any vulnerabilities.  That’s what Jarod is doing.”

            “Well, if anyone can find a weak spot in a security system, it’s Jarod.”

            “Hm, yes.  He surely would have found a way to escape from the Centre again by now if it weren’t for his implant.”

            “My brother may be certifiable, but he’s not stupid,” Miss Parker said grimly.  Then a fierce smile slowly spread across her face.  “Which will make it all the more satisfying when we beat him.”

            They both heard a series of short, spastic sneezes, and Broots appeared at the bottom of the wide staircase.  “Sorry,” he said, sniffing.  “I must be allergic to something out here, which is strange because I don’t usually have this reaction.”

            “The warm winter coupled with the rainy spring has produced uncommonly high pollen counts,” Sydney explained.  “Many people are experiencing allergies this year when they never had problems before.”

            As if in confirmation, Broots let loose another sequence of sneezes, startling a peacock into motion on the shady hillside above them.

            “Thanks for the forecast, Syd,” Miss Parker said, “but what I really need is your expertise on all these plants.  With Sneezy here, we’re sure to attract some unwanted attention while we’re having our meeting.  So if we run into someone, be ready to act like you’re showing us some exotic species of flower, okay?”  She stood up abruptly.  “Come on, let’s walk and talk.”  She quickly descended the steps.

            Sydney rose to his feet and hurried to catch up.  As Miss Parker struck out on one of the meandering paths, he and Broots fell in step on either side of her, just like they often did in the hallways of the Centre.  On the off chance that they encountered a Centre employee out here in the Biotract, Sydney hoped that the three of them with their heads together was such a familiar sight, it would not arouse suspicion.

            “Okay, Broots,” Miss Parker said, keeping her voice low.  “You’ve got the frequency that triggers Jarod’s implant.  Now, exactly how do we use that to help him escape?”

            “Well, I won’t go into all the technical details, but basically, I just have to jam the signal at a point along the invisible fence, which will create a hole that Jarod should be able to walk through without getting shocked.”

            He made it sound so simple, and Sydney didn’t doubt that Broots would be able to execute the technical part of the plan with ease.  It was the other details – like how Jarod would get away from his usual pair of guards and then elude numerous Sweepers on the other side of the invisible fence - that would be a little more complicated.  But Sydney tried not to let those worries show on his face.  With his coat still draped over one shoulder and his hand in his pocket, he wanted it to appear like he was out for a casual stroll.

            “Where along the invisible fence?” Miss Parker asked.

            “As far as the frequency goes, I can shut down any part of the fence,” Broots answered, “but I thought it should be in an area where Jarod would have the greatest chance for escape.  I think the little-used service entrance on the northeast corner of the main building would be the best spot.  I’ve been going over camera footage and I noticed that Jarod’s security detail often uses the corridor just inside that door when they’re bringing him back from the showers.”

            Not one stutter in that report, Sydney noted, which meant that Broots was feeling fairly confident.  At least as confident as Broots ever felt about anything.

            “Sounds good,” Miss Parker said.  “I think we should plan the escape for a weekend when there will be less personnel around.  Also, it would be best if Lyle was not at the Centre when all this goes down.  We don’t want him entering some doomsday code into that damn transmitter that’ll zap Jarod with a lethal shock.”

            “Perhaps we missed an opportunity this last weekend,” Sydney said thoughtfully.  “Lyle had planned to be away for three days.”

            “No,” Miss Parker said.  “We all have a pretty good idea what Lyle likes to do at his cabin in the woods.  Jarod would never have wanted his escape to be at the expense of a young woman’s life.  No,” she said again, more firmly, “I did the right thing when I spoiled his plans by inviting him to a family outing.”

            “I agree,” Sydney murmured.

            “And before you ask, Syd, no, I did not find the Parker family get-together at all emotionally cathartic.  Daddy almost fell asleep during the concert and Lyle was sulking when he wasn’t busy watching me watch him.”

            “I’m sorry you had such an unpleasant time,” Sydney said.  Forget the casual stroll; he had to quicken his steps to keep up with Miss Parker’s long-legged stride that had accelerated as she discussed a subject she’d rather avoid.  Next to him, Broots was practically jogging to keep up.

            “I didn’t expect to have fun,” Miss Parker said.  “But remembering how May Lin, that poor waitress who went missing right around the time Lyle went for one of his ‘rejuvenating’ retreats, I knew I had to stop him before another innocent woman became his latest victim.”

            “I think you succeeded,” Broots said.  “I checked online this morning and found no missing person reports in the area for the last couple of weeks.” 

            “Then it was worth it,” Miss Parker said, her pace slowing somewhat when given this welcome news, “even if means we’ll have to find another way to lure Lyle away from the Centre.”

            “That won’t be easy,” Sydney observed.  “Lyle knows that Jarod is the key to him remaining in power at the Centre.  He’s being very hands-on with everything to do with the Pretender project.”

            “Especially hands-on with that little black box of his,” Miss Parker muttered.  “We’d have to pry it out of his cold, dead hands to get it away from him, an idea not without merit…”

            When Sydney started to object, she went on, “I know, I know, if anything happens to Lyle, he won’t be able to enter his top-secret code and Jarod will get a killer shock.  So my brother’s safe… for now.”

            He hoped she had more reasons than that to prevent her from killing her own brother, but he decided to let it go… for now.

            “So how do we get Lyle away from the Centre?” Broots asked and sniffed.   A slight breeze had sent a few seed pods wafting down from a nearby oak tree.  Sydney passed him his handkerchief, which Broots gratefully accepted.

            “We give him reason to believe that his ability to contain Jarod is in jeopardy,” Miss Parker said.  “Lyle already knows we want to stop the electric shocks, so it shouldn’t be hard to convince him that we’ve finally found a way to do it.”

            “We’re not going to tell him that I isolated the frequency?” Broots exclaimed, his outburst somewhat muffled by the handkerchief pressed to his face.

            Sydney could see Miss Parker’s shoulders bunch with tension. “No, you moron, we’re going to make him think we found someone who can help us disable Jarod’s implant.”

            “But I’ve already searched for Dr. Archer,” Broots protested.  “Lyle must have her stashed in some safe house, because I can’t find any trace of her.”

            “That’s why we’re going to find another scientist who is an expert in this field,” Miss Parker said.  “At least we’re going to pretend we located someone like that.  Then I’m going to arrange a trip out of town to secretly meet with this ‘expert.’  When Lyle learns what I’m doing, he’ll be on the next plane after me.”

            Sydney nodded thoughtfully.  “That could work,” he said.  “Lyle is desperate to maintain his control over Jarod through that implant.  If he thinks you’ll be able to wrest that control away from him, he’ll be willing to take the risk of going after you himself.”

            “Won’t that put you in danger?” Broots asked worriedly.

            “I can handle my brother,” Miss Parker said, “but I’m not really going to get on a plane to meet with some fictional super geek.  I need to stay here anyway to make sure Jarod gets away safely.”

            Sydney detected the determination in her tone and knew it came from more than just a desire to see her plan succeed.

            Miss Parker went on, “Lyle just needs to believe I left town.  You can create a false trail, right, Broots?”

            “Um, sure, flight tickets bought online, maybe a fake e-mail or two between you and the mystery scientist, but, well, um… how is Lyle going to find out about all of this?”

            “Through the weak link of our little group.” Miss Parker stopped walking and turned around to face them.  “You, Broots.”

            Her sudden stop had caused Broots to come to an abrupt halt, and now her statement made him stammer, “M-me?  B-but I w-would never...”

            “Relax, Broots,” she said.  “Sydney and I know that you would never betray our trust.  But Lyle doesn’t.  Loyalty in his world is bought, coerced, or downright faked to achieve an ulterior motive.”

            “B-but I did betray you that one time,” Broots said miserably.  “Remember when Mr. Raines threatened to torture me with a blowtorch?  I told him right away that Sydney and you were in White Cloud.”

            “That’s okay, this time we want you to leak some information to Lyle.”  Then, when Broots gulped and looked like he was starting to hyperventilate, she added, “Don’t soil your shorts, you’re not going to be tortured.  At least you won’t consider it torture.  Is Bridget still following you around?”

            Broots’ breathing was returning to normal, but Miss Parker’s comments had him looking confused.  “Well, I pass her in the halls sometimes.  But I do my best to avoid her!”

            “Good boy,” Miss Parker said.  “Keep doing that, only more so.”

            “Huh?”

            “You know, act awkward and nervous whenever you see her.  Just be yourself.”

            Now Sydney was as perplexed as Broots.  “And what will this acccomplish, Miss Parker?”

            She turned to him.  “I actually got the idea from you, Sydney.  Remember last year when I was worried about Broots being fed false information by Bridget?  You said something about using their relationship to our advantage.  I know how we can do just that.”

            Sydney spotted a Sweeper approaching – he didn’t recognize the man, so it must be one of the newer hires – and quickly squatted next to an azalea bush with large, bright red blossoms.  “This type of azalea is called the Ruby Princess,” he said, fingering one of the wavy-edged flowers.

            Although her back was to the advancing guard, Miss Parker instantly caught on to what Sydney was doing.  “Love the color,” she murmured, bending over for a better view – and providing the Centre employee a nice view of her shapely bottom and legs as he passed by.  Sydney noticed that Broots was slow to shift his focus to the bush.

            “It’s slightly past its peak now but is still an impressive specimen of this variety,” Sydney went on in case the guard was still within earshot.

            Once the man was out of sight, Miss Parker straightened and stepped off the path, beckoning to her companions.  Sydney and Broots obediently followed her into the shade of a tall oak tree.

            “It’s our turn to feed Lyle some false information, and we’re going to use Broots and Bridget to do it,” Miss Parker said.

            Sydney eyed her thoughtfully as she waited for his response.  To give himself more time to ponder her suggestion, he slowly put his suit coat back on and carefully adjusted the lapels.  Broots was also watching him, wanting – what?  Reassurance that this plan was feasible?  This whole scheme was fraught with potential pitfalls, but they had to do everything they could to increase Jarod’s chances of success.

            “It could work,” he finally allowed.

            Broots’ shoulders slumped, but Miss Parker’s eyes flashed with triumph.  “Okay, Broots,” she said briskly, “the next time that bleached blonde with no fashion sense slithers up to you –”

            “I-I don’t know about this,” Broots interrupted, shaking his head and wandering a few steps away from the group.

            “What’s the problem?  All you have to do is ‘let slip’ a few key pieces of misinformation.  I’ll tell you exactly what we want Bridget to pass on to Lyle.  As long as you can remember that when she’s cozying up to you…oh.”  She frowned suddenly.

            “What is it?” Sydney asked.

            “I think Broots here might be afraid he won’t be able to keep his wits about him when Miss Lollipop’s around.”

            Broots looked even more deflated, so Sydney knew that Miss Parker had correctly surmised the reason for his current discomfort.

            Her hands on her hips, she studied her crestfallen colleague for a moment in silence then took a step towards him.  Something in her face must have unnerved him, because he tried to retreat, but Miss Parker kept going at him, until his back was up against the tree trunk.  Then she placed one hand on his chest, long fingers splayed out across the faded peace symbol on his brown t-shirt, the other reaching up to stroke his jawline.  “Why so jumpy, luv?” she crooned close to his ear in a husky English accent.

            Broots blinked rapidly.  “I, I, I’m not…”  His voice trailed off into a nervous titter.

            “This isn’t a joke, Parker,” Sydney said sharply.

            “Who’s laughing, Syd?” she returned with annoyance, keeping eye contact with a blushing Broots.  “We can’t have him acting like a gawky adolescent as soon as he’s touched by a woman.”

            It’s just women who use their sexuality in an aggressive manner who produce that result in him, particularly you, Miss Parker.  As Broots’ therapist, Sydney couldn’t tell her that.  As Broots’ friend, he wouldn’t tell her that and make an already awkward situation worse.

            “He’ll be fine when the time comes,” Sydney said firmly.

            Miss Parker released Broots from her clutches and swung to face Sydney.  “He’d better be,” she said, “or the whole plan could be shot to hell!”

            He didn’t back away from her ire.  “Relax, Parker,” he said.  “This is Jarod we’re talking about.  Even if the plan has a few kinks, all he needs is a fighting chance and he’ll make it work.  If Broots can punch a hole in that invisible fence, Jarod will find a way to get through it.”

            Broots cleared his throat and stepped towards them, using the handkerchief to dab at beads of sweat on his forehead.  It was actually quite cool in the shade of the towering oak, but Sydney knew Broots’ condition had nothing to do with the real temperature.  “I found something out earlier today that I think will also increase Jarod’s odds,” he offered hesitantly.  “I was talking to my friend Manny in Human Resources about some personal days I hope I can take later this summer.  Debbie wants to go to the zoo,” he hurriedly added before Miss Parker came down on him for daring to ask for time off.  “Anyway, I also mentioned that Jarod’s regular guards don’t seem to get any time off, and she said–”

            “She?  Manny’s a woman?” Miss Parker said.

            Sydney said, “Don’t ask,” hoping Broots would skip the explanation about Manny’s unfortunate amount of facial hair.  Thankfully, Miss Parker just rolled her eyes but took his advice and didn’t pursue it.

            Broots went on, “Manny told me that Willie is actually taking a few days off next month, June 14th to 17th , to be precise.  So that means Jarod will have at least one substitute Sweeper during that time, and the 16th is a Saturday.”  He paused.  “School ends on June 6th, and Debbie leaves for camp the following week, so she’ll be gone then, too.”  He paused again then said quietly, “If the Centre figures out we planned Jarod’s escape, I really would rather my daughter is safely far away so that she can’t be used against me.”

            Miss Parker’s expression softened, yet there was steel in her voice when she said, “Don’t worry, Broots.  I won’t let anything happen to Debbie.  I promise.”

            Sydney knew she was as good as her word.  When Broots had been erroneously branded a traitor by the Centre and been forced to go on the run, Miss Parker had taken Debbie into her own home and kept her safe.

 “I believe you,” Broots said.  “I just – I would just feel better if she’s not around when all this happens.”

            “Of course,” Sydney said.  They’d all do whatever was in their power to keep the child safe, but what they weren’t saying out loud was that if they were discovered helping Jarod to escape, it was likely none of them would be in a position to protect anyone.

            Miss Parker took a deep breath.  “It’s settled then.  We do this on June 16th.”

            Her voice was firm, her gaze clear and direct as she looked at her co-conspirators.  Yet Sydney knew the inner turmoil she must have overcome to make this conscious decision to actively work against the Centre and her father.  This was a turning point in her life. 

            “Agreed,” Sydney said.  He hoped she could read in his expression how proud he was of her at this moment.

            But she was already turning away.  “We’d better get back inside.  You go first, Broots.  Start working on that false electronic trail we’re going to leave for Bridget and Lyle to follow.”

            Broots nodded and hurried away. 

            “Is there anything specific you need me to do in the next week?” Sydney asked.

            “Just try to keep Jarod on an even keel.  We’ll figure out a way to get him the pertinent details about the escape plan.  If he knows he’ll have a chance to get out of here soon, he should stay on his best behavior.”  She ran her fingers through her hair.  “I just hope this whole thing doesn’t blow up in our faces.”

            He kept his voice as calm as possible.  “It will all work out; you’ll see.”

            As usual, she paid little attention to him when he was in “shrink” mode.  “Right now you can stay out here a little longer,” she instructed.  “I don’t want us seen entering the building together.”  She started to walk off but called back over her shoulder, “Take time to smell the roses or something.”

            There were no roses blooming yet, but Sydney appreciated the sentiment, even if it was cliché and been offered only as an afterthought.  But he found he couldn’t enjoy the natural beauty surrounding him as he wandered back the way they’d come.  He was too preoccupied wondering where the dangerous path they’d chosen would lead them.

            “Working late?”

            “What else is new?” Broots muttered then felt a surge of adrenaline as he belatedly recognized the voice – or more precisely, the accent, phony or not – of the person who had just entered his office.  “Brigitte!” he exclaimed and made a big show of hastily tapping a key to clear his computer screen.  His leg started nervously jigging under the desk.  Finally, he thought.  It had been over a week since he’d agreed to feed Brigitte false information, but he’d hardly seen her in all that time.  He’d been starting to think that all the times he’d run in the opposite direction had actually convinced her to leave him alone.  Thank goodness she’d shown up now.  He wanted to prove to Miss Parker that he could be a valuable member of their little band of rebels, that he wasn’t just the go-to guy for tech troubles.  Here was his chance.  Don’t blow it, Broots, he told himself.

            “What brings you down here?” he asked in what he hoped was his normally tentative yet friendly tone.

            “Our shared guilty pleasure,” she said with a saucy smile.

            Broots had to blink rapidly for his eyes to adjust to the approaching vision in hot pink. Gone was her usual black Cat Woman outfit, replaced by a low-cut leather mini dress that was somehow held up by two skinny spaghetti straps.  It was just as shiny and just as tight as her normal attire but much brighter, perhaps in recognition of the summer season.

“I snagged you the last bag of Funions from the vending machine outside the break room,” she said, tossing the snack to him.

            “Oh!  Thanks,” Broots said, tearing his eyes away from her curve-hugging ensemble to awkwardly catch the bag.  He started to open it then thought that might not be such a good idea.  Miss Parker had instructed him to let Brigitte get close, and onion breath right now could be a bit of a turn-off.  “I’ll save it for later,” he added, stowing the junk food in his upper right desk drawer.

            “Are you going to be here much longer?” she asked.

            He let himself sag slightly in his chair.  “Unfortunately.  With all the time I’ve been spending at the Centre’s satellite offices lately, I’ve been neglecting my duties back here.  I still have some things I need to finish before leaving for the weekend.”

            “Such a dedicated employee,” she murmured, producing a lollipop from out of nowhere – her skintight dress had no pockets he could see, but he would have been happy to make a closer inspection – and unwrapping it.  It looked to be cherry, a perfect match for her outfit.

            “Yeah, well, like I have much of a choice.”  Then, as if he was afraid of sounding ungrateful, he quickly added, “But I’m not complaining!  If orders come from the Tower that I need to run computer diagnostics on all the satellite offices in the tri-state area, then that’s what I do.  I mean, at least I’ve got job security, right?”

            Brigitte sucked on her lollipop thoughtfully.  “Surely you’re not the only one who can run these diagnostics?”

            “Oh, no!  The Centre’s got a whole staff of IT guys.  It’s just that I’m, well, sort of their supervisor, so I’m required to make on-site inspections when they’re working on a job, and I guess it’s a good thing I do that, because they always seem to mess something up, which means I’d have to fix it later, and it’s just easier if I’m there at the beginning to make sure everything gets done right the first time.”  He stopped to take a breath.  So far, so good.  He hadn’t even had to lie yet.

            “So, because you’ve been away from the Centre, the computers back here have developed a glitch now?”

            “What?  Oh!  No, no, the computers here are working fine, I just have some work for Miss Parker to finish up.”

            That piqued her interest.  Broots acted like he didn’t notice, wondering if he had an appropriately oblivious look on his face.  Of course you do, Broots, it’s your normal look, he imagined Miss Parker saying.

            Brigitte said, “What could you possibly have to do for her?  Last time I checked, Jarod was caught and Lyle was in charge of the Pretender project, leaving Miss Parker with nothing to do.”

            “Oh, that’s not true, she’s very busy.”

            “Doing what?  Trying to make trouble for her brother?”  Her brown eyes narrowed.

            Broots didn’t answer.  He bit his lower lip and tried to look like he was trying not to look like he was keeping a secret.

            “She doesn’t appreciate you, Mr. Broots,” Brigitte said, moving closer.

            The scent of her perfume and the sweet smell of her lollipop enveloped him.  The combined effect of that with the brightness of her outfit made him a little woozy.  “Oh, no… I mean, yes, yes, she does.  It’s just that… well, she’s been through such a rough time lately, what with almost dying from that terrible virus!  I’m glad she’s finally going to take some time off.”

            As expected, that piece of information definitely got her attention.  “Miss Parker’s going away?” she asked.

            “Oh.  Well, yes, but… I don’t know if I should have said… I mean, I don’t think she wants anyone to know.”  Then he attempted to look like he realized he’d just made a major blunder.

            “Why not?  I agree with you, she deserves a break.  Hopefully, she’ll come back from her vacation a little more relaxed.  That woman is so uptight.”  Brigitte paused to study him critically.  “Speaking of uptight…”  She placed her lollipop on the corner of his desk then moved around behind his chair and started to massage his neck and shoulders.  “Ooh, so tense,” she murmured.

He wondered if he should pull away.  But Miss Parker had said to let her get close to him, right?  But she’d also said he should act like himself, and his natural inclination was to retreat when aggressive women made advances.  Not like he had much experience with women like that even looking at him twice.  Only Brigitte, and her motives were suspect, so his instinct to avoid her was a good one.  But…what if she really wasn’t all that bad?  Sure, she hung out with Lyle, an evil psychopath, but maybe she just did that because she was afraid of him. 

            She tried to kill me and my father, you moron! 

            But she was just following orders, and Mr. Parker had forgiven her or he wouldn’t have gone on that cruise with her…

Broots!

He wished Miss Parker would get out of his head.  He was already second-guessing himself; he didn’t need another voice adding to the confusion.  Oh, no.  He was hearing voices.  What did that mean?  What would Sydney say about that?  Wait, he didn’t want to know.  That would just be another voice.

            “Someone else needs to learn to relax,” Brigitte crooned in his ear. 

            Oh, she was so right.  As she continued to gently but firmly knead his taut muscles, he felt some of the tightness dissolve.  What harm could it do if he acted like he was enjoying the massage?  He was supposed to be susceptible to her charms.  It was all part of the plan.  “That feels good,” he admitted, letting his eyes drift shut.

            Focus, Broots!

            His eyes snapped open and he sat up straight.  “What’s the matter, luv?” Brigitte asked.

            He shrugged off her hands.  “N-nothing, I just…I really should get back to work.”

            “Well, if you must.” She sounded disappointed.  “But first…” She spun his chair around and kissed him.

            She kissed him!  Broots was too stunned to even consider pulling away.  He was completely caught up in this unexpected move, savoring the feel of her body pressed against his, the sweet succulence of her lips that tasted of wild cherry, the sound of his own runaway heartbeat thudding in his ears…

            When they finally broke apart, Broots panted, “What…what was that for?” 

            Brigitte smiled.  “Just wanted to let you know how much I appreciate you, Mr. Broots.”  She lightly ran a finger from his chin down to his chest, sending a whole new set of pleasant sensations through his body.  “Well, I’ll let you get back to work,” she said and drifted away.

            After she was gone, Broots sat in a daze at his desk, staring blindly at his computer.  Then he realized something.  He hadn’t touched the keyboard since she’d come into his office, which meant his screensaver of squiggly confetti should have been crawling across the screen.  Instead, it showed the boring blue desktop with all its icons neatly aligned on the left side.  That meant someone had “woken up” his computer in the last few minutes.

            Brigitte.  While she’d distracted him with that amazing kiss, had she reached over his shoulder and accessed the file he’d strategically left minimized at the bottom of the screen?  He opened that file now and glanced at the purchase confirmation of a plane ticket for Miss Parker, which noted the date, flight number, and cities of departure and destination.  No doubt that information would soon find its way to Lyle, who would wonder why his sister was going on “vacation” to some run-of-the-mill locale that had nothing to offer the average tourist.  He would eventually find the e-mails Broots had fabricated between Miss Parker and the mysterious scientist who promised to tell her all about Jarod’s implant for a price; the e-mails had been deleted but carelessly left in the electronic trash can where they could still be retrieved.  That would be enough to get Lyle on a plane himself so that he could personally thwart his sister’s plans.  Only she’d still be back here at the Centre, making sure the real plan went off without a hitch.

            This could actually work!

            He noticed Brigitte’s red lollipop was still stuck to the corner of his desk.  He decided to leave it there a little longer as a souvenir of his successful mission.  Broots leaned back in his chair and folded his hands behind his head.  Sometimes, just sometimes, he really liked this job.

            Wipe that idiotic grin off your face!

            He didn’t listen.