Overreaching and Oversight

Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap. That was the sound her anxious feet made through pretty much the entire flight back to Portland. Much to the dismay of the other passengers she was sure, but she didn't care about that right now. All she could think about was Zane and if he was okay.

She cursed Carter for not giving her details about Zane's condition and herself for hanging up her phone without any. And to top it off, since her GD phone didn't work outside Eureka she was stuck with an entirely inferior smart phone* which had died shortly after she had spoken with him. The events from many past catastrophes played themselves over and over in her head: black ice striations, organic computer viruses, hyper-oxygenation, stolen DNA... Who knew what kind of disaster had befallen him this time. And all before she even got a chance to talk with him.

Minutes passed with a sluggish tick and she struggled with impatience.

Her normal traveling distractions that included Military Ma'am, her secret Kezia fashion magazine carefully hidden behind the latest cover of her Military Information Technology, and the new novel she was reading, in this case "Gray and Silver", were hopeless at keeping her attentions from her worry. Instead all her focus was about him and how she should have found an excuse out of this stupid waste of a trip.

When the plane finally arrived, at nearly 7pm, she gratefully only had packed one carry-on and had chosen an aisle seat. So, despite some stragglers, she was able to exit without too much aggravation. Jo bustled her way to the baggage claim and was met by Pearson, one of her security personnel. He was an average height thirty-something she'd always appreciated for his kind spirit and industrious work ethic.

He already had her luggage in hand. "Good evening Chief Lupo." He said, greeting her with a nod. "I arrived with Torrez and he's already on his way back to GD with your car. Director Fargo instructed me to escort you immediately to the GD chopper."

"Thanks Pearson. Let's get a move on it."

He led the way in a dart with her to the escalator, setting a brisk pace. They weaved as best they could around the civilians, straight for the helicopter loading zone.

They boarded and she sank to her seat. As they departed, she couldn't help but close her eyes and think about how just two nights earlier she and Zane had been wrapped in each other's arms, twice if she counted her unique occasional visitor. The first time embracing him had been emotional, gritty, raw and real. A need for him she wanted to rebel against but barely had the strength to push away. She had desperately clutched to the only semblance of her past reality she could when he had gripped her wrist and they had sealed their desire with a fiery embrace. And it had crushed her with pain and exhilarated her at the same time. Leaving her confused and with little hope.

Then for the second time that night when he appeared it had been just as desperate but more comforting. He was hers, as much as he still could be. She could sink into the memories and let them blanket her up. Cozy, warm and what she didn't ever want to let go of. She hated to admit it but by not answering his proposal, she had left the last memory of them together hurtful and broken. She'd beaten herself up over that plenty over the last few months. Maybe that's why when he'd come to her in the illusions. In those he was always so loving and understanding. Maybe that was her guilt talking. And she'd said goodbye to that to take a chance with this version of Zane.

This version wasn't quite as flawless as the one she imagined. Though when she was being honest with herself and not letting romanticism get in the way, she realized he was probably much closer to the Zane she was in love with than she cared to admit.

She sighed as she realized her last moment with this Zane had been left just as uncertain as the proposal.. She prayed she wouldn't regret leaving him with things unfinished like she did with her Zane. What was it he had said to her? Something about how if the neuro-linguistic programming mishap had happened with him, would she have let it stand in the way of them getting to be together again?

She wouldn't have, she didn't think, but now… If something terrible happened she might have done just that with this Zane. Was the world so cruel that it would happen to her twice? Damn. She supposed it could be. If she had the chance to set things right, she had to take it. No more "deer in the headlights" moments, she vowed.

The pilot interrupted her thoughts and informed them they'd arrive at GD in less than fifteen minutes. She blinked and straightened in her seat, nervously looking to Pearson as she evened her face. "Can you get a line to GD? I want to make sure there aren't any roadblocks with security when we arrive."

"Certainly Chief Lupo." Pearson stated and immediately dialed.

If he was curious about what she was rushing back for, he never gave any indication. She was thankful he was the one to accompany her and Torrez was the one to drive her car back. Torrez had a penchant for asking too many questions and she wasn't in the mood for explaining.

"You'll have immediate clearance into GD through the entrance off the landing pad when we arrive," he assured her as he ended the call.

"Thanks." Questions. Huh. Glancing at him, she wondered if he could have some of the answers she'd been worried about the entire trip. She had been so caught up in her thoughts she hadn't considered how much he might know about the situation with Zane. She wondered if asking about the condition of GD's most notorious troublemaker might alert her guard that there was something going on between them. Well if there was still something going on between them.

With him being one of her more reverent subordinates she doubted he'd be privy to many personal details. Maybe Torrez would have been the more useful one on the flight. He never could resist butting into what was none of his business. No, no. She wasn't ready to reveal that particular weakness to any of her subordinates, even the careful ones, at least not in these early stages.

She decided that asking vague questions couldn't hurt though. "Were there any major incidents that happened today that you're aware of?"

He frowned. "I had just arrived for my shift when Armstrong informed Torrez and I we would be making a trip in the Helicopter to escort you and your vehicle back to GD. The only incident I know about was an altercation in Section 3. I could get GD back on the line and get someone to brief you if you'd like?" He offered with regret.

They were minutes from GD now and by the time they got in touch with anyone they'd be there. "No, no, that's fine. I'll find out soon enough."

The chopper landed and as fast as she could, she unbuckled her safety belt and exited the chopper, darting across the now dark landing pad and into the building. She didn't concern herself with bags besides her carry-on leather backpack, or with any of the security team she passed along the way. She was sure she'd gotten some speculative glances and knew she upset a bunch of security protocols but she paid no mind to it. Her only concern at the moment was finding Zane and figuring out what the hell had happened and how it could be fixed. How everything could be fixed.

Her first stop was the infirmary. When she crossed in through the electronic sliding doors, she looked around with trepidation but didn't find Zane in any of the beds. She noticed one of the scientists that worked with Zane in his lab sitting on a cot in the corner. Figuring he might have some idea what was going on, she started to work her way over to him. A medical tech beat her there and she decided to just ask the head doctor on call.

Doctor Stein did a quick records check in the database and said Zane hadn't been there recently. Jo had her double check the records for a Professor I.P. Freely, Willie Leak, and Ben Dover, just to be on the safe side. None of those or any of his other ridiculous monikers had been used in the last two days.

Confused, she turned to go speak with Zane's lab-mate but he was in a heated discussion with the tech attending him. Rather than get into an argument with them both, she pulled up the security log on one of the free terminals and found Fargo last logged in to his office terminal. Feeling somewhat relieved to not find Zane had been injured, but still slightly ill-at-ease, she headed off to speak to him.

When she arrived, Carter, Allison, and Fargo were all there, and their attention turned to the door as she strode in. They all looked troubled.

"I headed straight for the infirmary," she said. "They said Zane hasn't been there. What the hell is going on?"

They look nervously amongst each other and Carter was the one to speak first in his always even, calming tone. "Jo, he's not injured, he's just not here."

His careful words only served to irritate her already rattled nerves. She replied carefully, "Not here, what do you mean he's not—wait he's not... oh my God!" Her hands started to shake and felt her knees weaken as she feared the worst.

Carter's face paled in realization and he moved to face her, gaining eye contact and placing reassuring hands on her wrists, steadying her. "No, no, no. He's alive. Apparently sometime yesterday evening, General Mansfield and his team removed Zane from Eureka and are holding him in custody."

She steadied herself and shook off Carter's hands, but the sickness in the pit of her stomach remained. "For what? What the hell happened?"

Carter looked to Fargo, who licked his lips and straightened his suit nervously before he spoke. "Apparently the general found our unauthorized rocket launch the perfect opportunity to rid Eureka of Zane. He's being charged with stealing the ion pulse damper from the BCE."

"And you all just let him take him?" She asked Fargo incredulously.

He looked around in unease, thinking of how he was involved in the unplanned launch. "I had no idea they were taking him until he was gone," Fargo answered weakly.

"It's not even theft!" she protested.

"I know," said Allison, "The general's using his prerogative to call it that, though"

She pressed her lips tightly in frustration. "This is great. No one stood up for him and now he'll probably be shipped off to prison for good. What the hell Fargo? That launch was just as much your fault as it was his." She was out of patience, and she knew she wasn't being fair, but didn't care. It'd been a hellish few days.

Carter began to speak, "Jo—"

Fargo interrupted him, his voice pitching high. "Of course I stood up for him. But there was no stopping Mansfield. The man is a bulldog." He looked angry, and hurt.

Blaming her friends for this wasn't fair. She chided herself for letting her anger and frustration, and… yes fear… get the better of her. She was terrified she'd just let her one last chance with Zane slip away forever.

Carter put a hand on her shoulder. "Jo," he said, soothingly. "Allison, Fargo and I argued with Mansfield all morning. None of us wanted this to happen and we did our best. Think about the timing of this for a second. Your sudden trip on the general's mandate, Zane's late-night apprehension…"

She swore. "That stupid meeting was nothing but a diversion. He planned this all along. I knew something about the trip felt wrong."

"Exactly." Carter said.

She thought on it for a bit, her wheels turning, her suspicions growing. "Why the hell would Mansfield care so much about me being out of town? As far as he's concerned I'm Zane's enemy. I'm the 'Enforcer'."

Fargo stood with his arms crossed and stated with a slight hint of resentment, "General Mansfield said that he suspected the two of you were getting too close after the incident with the TAP. Apparently he's been keeping a closer eye on the two of you than we knew."

Jo reflexively snapped a glare at Allison. Allison's face colored and she looked down, avoiding eye contact. Jo marshaled herself. Blaming Allison wasn't going to help. She needed to focus, somehow she had to get him back. "What can we do?" She asked the group.

"Jo, there's more." Allison replied.

She stepped away from Carter and thumped down on Fargo's couch. "Of course there is," she bit out, her tone sarcastic. Allison lifted her chin, as though braving rough waters.

"Jo…" Carter cautioned.

Jo pinched the bridge of her nose and shook her head. "Sorry, Allison. Continue, please."

Allison nodded, and her face softened. "All of the people in Zane's lab seem to be affected by something. We're worried a project could be the cause and that Zane's been affected as well."

"Affected how?" All of the trepidation about his health crept right back in to Jo's stomach.

Allison pursed her lips, as if uncertain. "Unfortunately we're still unsure. So far the symptoms have been irritability, drowsiness, and headaches. Everyone seems to be suffering from some confusion as well."

She gulped back the lump that had developed in her throat and questioned with reluctance, "Do you think it's serious?"

Doing her best to sooth Jo's fear without making promises she answered, "We're running some tests but we still haven't figured out what's causing this. I'm concerned because everyone involved seems to be experiencing shortages in potassium and so far I'm having trouble balancing it back to normal range. I'm concerned this could get serious."

Jo nodded, "We have to get him back here. Where did they take him?"

Fargo answered, "They took him up to the Federal Corrections facility in Sheridan. It's about four hours north of here, Southwest of Portland."

"What about Mansfield?" Jo asked.

"I'm pretty sure he's still there. Zane has a hearing on Friday that he likely won't miss." Fargo said.

Jo crossed her arms in certainty. "Oh I'm sure. How do we go about getting him back?" She hoped they had some thoughts on the best plan of attack. As much as she tried to be calm and collected there was a part of her that wanted to grab the biggest and baddest from her armory and have a visit with Mansfield to give him a taste of his own medicine. She wouldn't do it out of respect for his position, of course, but damn if the thought didn't make her feel liberated.

Fargo interrupted her thoughts. "I think one of us needs to go up there. We need to check on him and convince Mansfield or the judge he needs to get back to Eureka as soon as possible for some testing and to help us figure out what's going on here."

"I'm on it." Jo replied with resolve.

Allison nodded. "Good. Carter and I can try and get in touch with some of our old contacts with the DOD and Marshall's and see if any of them can help us get Zane back here."

"Great. Thanks… and sorry about before. I didn't mean… I know you all did the best you could. You too Fargo." She did her best to force a smile but it didn't quite reach her eyes.

Fargo nodded and damn it did his sad puppy dog face make her feel like a jerk.

Carter smiled at her encouragingly. "Good Luck Jo."

She nodded her gratitude.

Carter touched Allison's arm to signal them to leave but before she hurried away she smiled warmly at Jo and gave her a hug.

She didn't want to admit it but it was probably the first time that day she let go of some of the pent up stress. She accepted Allison's gesture with appreciative smile, trying not to let her emotions that were threatening to break free and thanked her.

"If you need anything just call. And be careful. Everyone is having different symptoms so we don't know how Zane will be reacting. Just try and find out if he's experiencing anything unusual and let me know." Allison offered.

"I will."

She just prayed she wouldn't need them and she could get Zane back, before something more serious happened and she lost him forever.

A/N:

*I think GD's phones work outside Eureka. But for some reason I thought at one time they didn't? Anyway, for my plot I bent that piece of information a bit. Hope it didn't bug anyone too much.

Thanks so much to ZeroGain being my beta for this chapter. I've been struggling on this the past couple weeks writing it and I'm so sorry it took so long to finally get posted. I can't promise anything but I hope to have the next chapters much sooner. And thanks to OrionM42 for helping me with research.

Thank you for reading and I'd really appreciate it if you reviewed. It motivates me to continue!

And all the regular jazz. I don't own Eureka, though I love the PNW and would love it if Eureka really existed on the map.