At the urging of his producer, Angela Somerset, (who is not in the basement with him, but at a studio somewhere else) Neil takes a call from someone called the Middle Man ... who turns out to be Jarod!!   Neil asks him if he is still running from the PTB ... Powers That Be ... and Jarod tells him about being separated from his family as a child and searching for them over the past three years.  It strikes a chord with Neil and the usually strident man softens a little toward Jarod.

The caller after Jarod tells Neil to open the package that he sent, via Express Mail.  Inside the package is a dead rat, a picture of a girl and a scrawled note that says, "TIME'S UP.".   There are other cards and notes on a cork board in Neil's basement ... all from the same man.   Neil decides that it's time to abandon ship and gets ready to bail out ... but he's not in time.   Jarod and all the other listeners hear the sound of a shotgun blast ... then more gunfire from a smaller weapon ... a .45 ... and then the intruder tosses a grenade after Neil.

Jarod, who was driving out of Chicago when this began, does a 180 and heads back into the city, to the WLNJ Building downtown.  When he arrives there, he puts on the microphone and answers a belligerent caller who thinks that all of the gun shots were a publicity stunt.  Afterwards, Angela says she is going to call the police on Jarod ... but Jarod knows that she won't.   He tells her that if she were going to call the police, she would have done it already - after the incident with Neil.  She then realizes that Jarod is Middle Man and agrees to let him finish the show. 

At Thomas' house, Miss Parker convinces Thomas to "sleep in" ... but later finds that Thomas  has bought a new house that he wants them to restore - together.   It's in Portland, Oregon!

Miss Parker isn't at all certain about this and tells Thomas that she has a career and her family to think about but he doesn't see the decision as being that hard to make and tells her that he'd like to leave in a week.

In the parking garage, Jarod is in his car and he's listening to a replay of the man who was on the show before all the fireworks began.   He hears, in the background, the sound of Neil ... hitting the auto-dial on the phone to call someone.   Jarod picks up his phone - he knows the number - he has figured it out from the tones.

Angela's cell phone rings and she grabs it and starts talking right away ... thinking it is Neil.   But it isn't Neil - it's Jarod.   He tells Angela that he knows that Neil called her right before the gunfire began and that he thinks Neil told her not to call the police.   Shocked and surprised, Angela caves in almost immediately and tells Jarod that Neil told her to keep up appearances until she heard from him again.  But he also said that if she did not hear from him again within 24 hours that she will never hear from him again. 

Jarod and Angela are in Neil's basement - from where he was broadcasting before the gunfire started.   It's pretty well trashed.  They see the cork board, full of all the notes from the psycho.  Jarod examines the room and figures out the sequence of events - determines that Neil might have been able to escape the grenade through a back door.  Closer examination shows a smear of blood on the wall near the door.

At The Centre, Broots brings in a real estate sign that says "For Sale By Owner" on it.   Lyle realizes that the house for sale belongs to Thomas Gates.   He quizzes Miss Parker about it, but she isn't giving much away.

Lyle leaves but Sydney and Broots pick up where he left off, asking her whether or not she plans on following him to Oregon.   Miss Parker says that she cannot go ... The Centre, her father ... but Sydney reminds her that a long time ago the Powers That Be caused him to lose his family and tells her not to let it be the same for her.

Back at Neil's basement, Angela and Jarod are looking at Neil's board.  They look at the picture of Patricia Marie.   Angela wonders if she is Neil's daughter.   Whether or not she is his daughter, Jarod realizes from something Neil said that the two have never met.  Searching the bookshelves, Jarod finds a book on "Relativity" that is hollowed out.   Inside they find newspaper articles and photos of Patricia Marie in a wheelchair.   Neil has documented Patricia Marie's life.   Jarod realizes that he has to find Neil and Patricia Marie before whoever turned the basement into a shooting gallery finds them first!

At the studio Jarod is back on the air, throwing out taunts to the man that destroyed Neil's studio.  It doesn't take long before he takes the bait and is on the phone and on the air with Jarod.  As he speaks with him, Jarod hears the sounds of a train in the background.

The man is on his cell phone, in his car ... parked near El tracks.  There is a train passing above and Jarod can hear that, too.   He is a diabetic and has insulin in his car, but he's eating a candy bar as he talks to Jarod.  He gets out of his car and begins to head toward another car.  Jarod asks him if it's okay to call him "Pavlov" -- but the man says Jarod should call him PTB.   When Jarod asks him if he is one of the powers that be, Pavlov tells him that he is the only one.   Pavlov has his .45 ready and now we can see that the person in the other car is Neil Roberts!  Neil doesn't see Pavlov.

Pavlov is still talking to Jarod ... but we can see why Neil is parked where he is - and why he isn't paying any attention to what's going on around him.  He's watching Patricia get off a train and heading for home at the Olympia Apartments. 

Neil calls Angela in the studio, but he still hasn't seen Pavlov.  Angela gives the phone to Jarod, who starts talking to Neil, trying to make him understand that he is there to help him, and Neil still hasn't seen Pavlov.   Then Jarod hears a train in the background and realizes where Neil must be ... and screams at him to get out of there!   Neil drives away as Pavlov fires at the back of his car.

Back at the Centre, Miss Parker enters her father's office as he's trying to hang a family wedding picture.   Mr. Parker  has finished hanging the picture now ... and it's crooked.  Miss Parker begins fixing it.   She gets surprised again when Mr. Parker brings up Thomas.  He knows that Thomas is moving to Oregon!!  And he scoffs that the idea that Miss Parker might even consider going with him.   Miss Parker hides her disappointment.

Mr. Parker tells her why he calls her "Angel" ... When Miss Parker was 3½ years old, Mr. Parker was on a high ladder checking a leaky skylight ... but before he took the last step, Miss Parker screamed "broken!"  If he had taken that step, he would have fallen 30 feet into the rocks -- Catherine Parker said that Miss Parker was his guardian angel and Mr. Parker had been calling her that ever since.   At the end of the story, he adds, "You leave me, I might as well be dead."  She's trapped now, and she knows it.  But she starts to try to talk to him anyway.   It doesn't work. 

At WLNJ, Angela slams down her phone - thinking that it's over - and this time, Neil really has been killed by Pavlov.   Jarod isn't willing to concede Neil's demise, however, and shows Angela the contents of the hollowed out Einstein book.   He tells Angela that the woman's name is Patricia Marie Lorenz ... she is 19 years old and suffers from a degenerative nerve disorder.  Both of her parents served in the Army and both of them died on a base.   But Jarod cannot find a direct connection to Neil.

The last thing Jarod pulls out are legal papers that relate to "The New Vista Foundation."   He asks Angela if she knows anything about them and she tells him that she doesn't ... but she also tells Jarod that they are looking in the wrong place.

Back at Neil's basement, Jarod is on Neil's PC ... looking through the files - but they are all encrypted and not even Angela knows the password.  It doesn't take Jarod long to figure it out and soon has access to Neil's computer records.

Jarod finds that Neil has been paying for Patricia's care ... and has been funding research for the nerve disorder from which she suffers.   Neil had her moved to a new assisted care facility six months ago ... when the threats started.   Jarod and Angela go to see Patricia at her apartment, but Patricia has no idea who Neil Roberts is ... she's never even heard of him.  Jarod learns that the thing that turned Patricia around ... made her start fighting to get well instead of just giving in and letting the disorder take her life away from her ... was a series of tapes -- made by Neil Roberts (although Patricia doesn't know the name of the man who made them).   She tells Jarod that she tried to find out who was funding the foundation that was helping her, but she never could find anything.

Outside, in the hallway, Jarod and Angela are trying to understand why Neil would devote his life to someone, without telling her who he is.   Unseen by Jarod and Angela, there is someone else in that hallway ... someone holding a .45 ...

Jarod is back on the air at WLNJ ... He's talking about the PTB's and how they can take your life away from you.   Angela flashes him a message ... Pavlov is on line 1.   Jarod takes the call.   Angela starts a computer program running ... it is searching - trying to triangulate on the signal - trying to find where Pavlov is calling from.

Pavlov is in his car - giving him self a needed does of Insulin.  Jarod is still talking to him ... feeding his anger, trying to keep him on the line.   Little does Jarod know ... but Pavlov has gotten Jarod's psychological number and starts ringing Jarod's bell.  Angela is still running the trace, and she's getting concerned - Pavlov is getting to Jarod.

Pavlov ends the conversation and Angela tells Jarod that the trace didn't work.  Pavlov scrambled the phones.   In a fit of pique, Jarod knocks all of the papers off of the desk.

At Thomas' house, Miss Parker is sitting at the wheel of her car.   She isn't making any move to get out of the car to go inside the house.   She's thinking about all of the things in her life - Sydney telling her to take her chance at happiness; Broots saying her father will freak if she leaves; her father saying he might as well be dead if she goes.  She finally gets out of the car, her decision made.  Through the window, we can see her talking to Thomas.  It is clear that she has told him she isn't going. 

Jarod is back in his car ... looking through a U.S. Army database on his laptop.  There is a service record for Neil Michael Roberts.  He was a staff surgeon in an Army hospital at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.  Jarod hears a noise outside of his car ... gets out to investigate and finds himself with a .45 in his back.  It's Neil.

At the Centre sim lab, Lyle is reading a piece of paper.  He says, "The powers that be are everywhere ... they take your loved ones away from you."  He wants to know who wrote this drivel ... and Miss Parker tells him that it came from a radio talk show host in Chicago - who happens to be Jarod.  Lyle and Miss Parker begin to spar over Thomas ... the phone rings and Lyle tells Miss Parker that Thomas is downstairs!

Thomas comes to The Centre and Miss Parker meets him at concourse four.  She asks him what he's doing there.  Thomas tells her that he knows she didn't mean what she said ... that it was her father talking and this place (meaning The Centre).   Miss Parker gets defensive and begins to unload on Thomas, but she makes a mistake and brings up commitment ... and Thomas reminds her what the word is supposed to mean between two people.  They continue to argue a little longer, but finally Thomas gets into his truck and says "I leave tomorrow.  Please don't make me leave part of my life here."  Then he pulls away and leaves her standing there.   She is riddled with indecision!  And she doesn't realize that Mr. Raines saw the whole thing.

Meanwhile, Jarod has been forced to the wall by Neil.   Jarod is talking to him, trying to get Neil to give him the gun.   Jarod tells Neil that he needs help ... otherwise Pavlov will kill Patty.  Finally, Neil puts the gun down and explains to Jarod why Patricia's condition is his fault.  There were government sponsored experiments on Patty's mother, while she was pregnant.   Neil got results that suggested there might be an adverse reaction, but he was ignored and convinced himself that the PTB were right ... there was no danger.  Neil was transferred and didn't know what happened to Patty until he heard about the car accident that killed her parents.  Since that time he dedicated himself to speaking up and to "never stop questioning" -- but he still did not have the nerve to tell Patty about himself.

At Miss Parker's house ... the phone is ringing and she lets it.   Finally, she picks it up - expecting it to be Tommy, but it isn't ... it's Jarod!   He tells her that he only sent the real estate sign as a way for Miss Parker to know that Tommy was selling the house, then realizes from the sound of her voice that she and Tommy have already talked about it.   She tells Jarod that Tommy is moving to Oregon and that he wants her to go with him.  Jarod tells her to go!   She thinks he only wants her to do it so that she will stop pursuing him - but then relents a little and tells him that it's too late anyway.   Jarod reminds Miss Parker that the last thing her mother was doing before she died was making arrangements to get Miss Parker as far away from The Centre as possible ... which is the same thing that Thomas wants to do.  Jarod tells her that he thinks that her mother would have approved of Thomas.

After he hangs up, Jarod straightens his tie, clips on a tag that will gain him entrance to the Army Advanced Research Projects ... it says "Major Jarod Turgidson" on it.   Jarod walks inside a federal building.

Later in the day, he tosses a folder he obviously "liberated" from the federal building onto a table in front of Neil Roberts.   Jarod tells Neil that the testing continued after Neil left ... and got worse.   Neil says that he remembers doing some shows on it.   Jarod tells him that because of Neil's shows the Army got nervous and shut the whole thing down.   The head of that project was Colonel Willard Spence.   When the Army conducted their internal review of the project, Dr. Spence was made the scapegoat and went to Leavenworth for 7 years.    Jarod notes that Spence was just released from prison two weeks ago and that his parole officer is in Olympia Fields.   Roberts worries because Olympia Fields is so close to Patty, but Jarod assures him that they will get Pavlov/Spence.

Seeing all of the information that Jarod has obtained, and seeing the ID badge that allowed him to obtain it Neil comments that he has been "following" the story of a man who shows up in odd places and defends the week and abused.  He goes to a file cabinet and gives Jarod the file on this mysterious stranger.  There are news clipping of all of Jarod's last pretends in the file!   Jarod asks Neil why he didn't expose him on the air and Neil tells him that he only goes after conspiracies that are bad.

Angela arrives ... she is happy to see Neil and they hug.   Then she says that there were some "people" at the station - asking for Jarod.   Men wearing suits, and one of them was named Sam.  Jarod says that they are "Sweepers" and when Neil questions him, he tells him that they are the powers that be.

Lyle, Sydney and Broots are waiting in The Centre's jet.   Broots hangs up a cell phone and says that no one has seen Miss Parker and he can't get her on her cell phone.   Lyle says, "That's it.  We're out of here."  Over Sydney's objections, Lyle picks up a phone and tells the pilot to go.   They leave without her.

At at the WLNJ building Jarod goes on the air with Neil's show.   Somewhere, in his car, is Pavlov/Spence ... he is listening.   Jarod says that he will be having a "special" guest ... Neil Roberts voice comes on the air, thanking double M (for Middle Man) for having him on.   Spence grabs his .45 ...

Somewhere in the WLNJ building, Mr. Lyle rushes in, trailed by Sydney and Broots.   He meets Sam, who tells him that Jarod must have somehow gotten past them because the show has already started ... and we can hear Jarod's voice on the radios in the building.   Mr. Lyle is not happy to hear this - he heads toward the studio, everyone else hurrying to keep up with him.

Spence has called in to the show and is now on the air with Jarod ... Jarod is taunting him, telling him to come to the studio and take his revenge on all of them.  Spence says he plans on getting revenge - but not where Jarod expects.

Lyle, Sam, Sydney and Broots are bursting through doors, heading down the corridor toward the broadcast room.   Jarod is still taunting Spence on the phone.   And Spence has arrived at the Olympia Apartments - where Patricia lives.   He's approaching her door ...

Lyle pushes Charlie Banks out of his path and into a wall.   Doesn't even slow down.  Never looks back.   Sydney, Broots, Sam and the other sweepers are still hurrying to keep up with him as he bursts into the studio ... but only Neil Roberts is there -- Jarod is not.   On the air, Roberts says, "Well, look here.  The powers that aren't."

At Patricia's apartment, Spence kicks in the door and begins systematically shooting around the room until his gun is empty.   From behind, Jarod grabs Spence and puts something over this nose and mouth ... within a moment, Spence goes limp.   Speaking into a microphone worn like a headphone and wearing a portable transmitter ... Jarod speaks up.   Roberts knows that Patricia is safe and that Jarod has captured Spence.

When Spence awakens, he realizes that he is in a wheelchair and that someone has taped him to it.  He struggles to free himself ... can't do it.   Jarod comes over and tells Pavlov that he knows who he is and he knows what he did.   Reminds Spence that Patricia is one of the victims of Spence's "experiments" and also reminds him of other victims ... Spence says that he already went to prison because of what he did to all of those people.  Jarod tells him that he doesn't know anything about prisons - tells him that sometimes the worst prison is the one that you wake up in every day, even though you are out in the world.

Spence feigns ignorance, but starts needing his Insulin ... Jarod rolls a doctor's instrument table to Spence's wheelchair, close enough so that Spence can reach any of the 3 syringes that are on it once his arm is freed.   Immediately, Spence reaches for one of the syringes and gets ready to use it.   Just before he does, Jarod tells him that only 1 of the 3 syringes has Insulin in it.   The other 2 have potentially lethal experimental drugs in them.   Jarod wishes Spence good luck in choosing, then starts to leave.  Finally, Spence admits that he stalked Neil Roberts and that he tried to kill him.   He wants Jarod to tell him which of the syringes has the Insulin in it.   Jarod tells him that all of them have Insulin in them ... and replays Spence's confession on a small tape recorder.  Spence will be going back to prison soon.

The next day, Jarod pushes Patricia in her wheelchair down the hall at WLNJ, toward Neil's studio.   Suddenly, her face lights up ... she knows that voice!   It's the voice from the tapes!!  Jarod tells her that the man behind the voice is expecting her.   Jarod takes Patricia into the studio and she sees Neil for the first time and smiles.   Neil is visibly shaken, but carries on with his show, saying that he only hopes Patricia can forgive him ...

Thomas is sitting up in his bed ... miserable.   Miss Parker walks in.   She takes off her jacket.   She puts her gun and her keys on the nightstand and sits down on the bed, beside Thomas.

Thomas wants to know if this means that Miss Parker will come with him.   She tells him that there are things about her that he doesn't know, things that he should know before he makes her a part of his life.   Thomas tries to stop her from saying any more, but she pushes him back - makes him listen to her.  She tells him that she hasn't known who she was for a very long time and that there are dark places inside of her ... stops ... cannot continue.   Thomas finishes for her ... saying that she's afraid he'll reject her if he sees them.   He knows what she's thinking!  He tells her that if something isn't right, they'll deal with it together - reminds her that he's a "fix-it" man.   She tells him that she supposes that makes her his new project.   He tells her that this is one that he'll never sell.  She rests her head on his chest - tearful still, but happy.

On the radio, we hear Neil's voice saying that sooner or later everyone hits a crossroads in their life.   Once again, Jarod is driving out of Chicago, and as he goes Neil tells him to watch his back and to never quit ... somewhere up ahead is Jarod's crossroads.

And the screen fades to black ...

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