Beep. Beeeeep. BEEEP.

Henry's PDA had been ringing for the past minute-and the incessant beeping was really starting to get on his nerves. He stopped what he was doing to see what could possibly be so much more important than his project.

"Hey, Henry, did you get Fargo's message?" his beautiful wife, Grace, walked into his-their-garage.

"Uh, no, I was just about to open it." He did so as he spoke.

"It's a 911. Come on, let's go," Grace said.

They soon arrived at Global Dynamics, and headed up to the director's office, where they found Fargo, Holly, Carter, Allison, Jo, and Zane already there, waiting for them. When they walked in, everyone turned to look at them.

"What's going on?" asked Henry.

"This." Fargo picked up a few papers from his desk, walked over to Henry and Grace, and handed them one each.

They were photographs of what appeared to be a large, blue-purple cloud.

"What is it?" asked Grace.

"Looks kind of like vaporized iodine," Henry observed.

"And you just so happen to know what vaporized iodine looks like, right off the top of your head," Carter grumbled. Allison smiled and patted him on the shoulder.

"We don't know what it is," replied Allison, "but it's very concerning. These photographs were taken from a satellite. It appears that this purple cloud of gas enveloped an entire town-a small one, in Maine, called Storybrooke."

Carter smiled. "Storybrooke? That's its name?"

Almost everyone in the room rolled their eyes, but everyone who did was grinning as they did so.

"Yes," Allison continued. "Storybrooke. It came to the DOD's attention, and now they want us to investigate."

"Why us?" asked Jo. "Couldn't they assign someone more suited for the task at hand?"

"Well, that's exactly it. They think we are suited for it," replied Fargo in the most director-y voice he could muster. "They think that this cloud of gas was either caused by us, or has something to do with science, so the experts on science should investigate."

"So...we're all going to Maine? Even me?" asked Zane.

"General Mansfield has ordered everyone in this room to go. Even you, Zane."

"This is a waste of our time!" Jo exclaimed. "This cloud of...gas has nothing to do with us! Who on earth is going to replace us while we're gone? We are some of the most important people in town. They can't just leave our jobs empty."

"They've got it all covered," replied Holly. "All we've got to do is figure out where this thing came from. That's not so bad."

"Everything's always much more complicated than it appears," Carter muttered.

"When was this...cloud first sighted?" asked Grace.

"According to the DOD, it was first spotted a week and a half ago," replied Fargo, glancing at his computer for more information.

"And they didn't tell us until now?" asked Allison incredulously.

"You know the DOD," replied Jo, miffed.

Fargo scrolled down through the email from the general. "They'll be picking us up tomorrow-for an eleven-thirty, business class flight to Belfast Municipal Airport. They've arranged for us to stay at the only hotel in Storybrooke-a place called Granny's."

"Do we each get a room?" asked Zane, unrealistically hopeful.

"No. They've got us in two large rooms, and they've separated the 'boys and the girls'," replied Fargo, quoting the email, annoyance evident in his voice.

Why did the DOD think of them as being so childish?

Allison raised her eyebrows and glanced over at Jo, who looked back at her with an expression that was the exact duplicate of Allison's.

"That's all," said Fargo after a few moments. "We'd best be getting back to work...I'll see you all tomorrow."

A few soft goodbyes were exchanged, and everyone left the director's office-except Fargo, of course.

Carter placed his hand on Allison's backside and led her out of the room. He said to her softly, "Since we'll be separated for a while...why don't we take advantage of tonight and do something we won't be able to do until we get back?"

Allison grinned broadly at him. "Of course."

Having overheard their conversation from their position a few feet behind the couple, it was all Henry and Grace could do to not burst out laughing.