Honesty (Chapter 1 of 3)
A/N: This storyline has been kicking around in my head forever. Chapter 1 is pretty dark, but the tone gets lighter, promise. And here's a plus…it's finished.
The story starts at Café Diem, at the end of One Small Step. Jo's about to tell Zane that she can't promise to wait for him while he's on Titan (dialogue paraphrased—if I had my way, it never would have been uttered, so the scene wasn't one I wanted to revisit just to confirm the script).
"I'm sorry if I hurt you," Jo said. "Less crappy apology?"
Zane smiled. "Yeah. A little. I want to know though…while I'm gone…," he trailed off, looking uncomfortable.
"You're asking if I'll wait for you," Jo said. Zane nodded. "I can't promise that, not yet."
"Because you don't know how you feel about me?" he asked.
"No, that's not it. I just don't know how I feel about a lot of things. But I'm working on it, really." She rested a hand on his leg.
"Honesty, huh? I never thought we'd get here." Zane looked at his hands for several moments, then spoke quietly. "While we're being honest, I have another question. About…before."
"Zane, I-" started Jo. He held his hand up to silence her. "I know, we agreed not to talk about the past for a while. But since I'll be heading to Titan without you, I'd really like to figure this out before I go."
She stared at him for several long moments before nodding reluctantly. "OK…what do you want to know?"
He took a deep breath. "Did you ever tell your family about me? I mean, the other me?"
Jo was surprised. Of all the subjects that Zane could be curious about, this one hadn't crossed her mind. "Yes, of course," she answered.
"One more…did you tell them about my record?"
Jo was confused by Zane's sudden intensity. "No. I suppose that I would have eventually. It just didn't seem important. It wasn't like you'd been convicted…". She stopped short, seeing too late the trap their conversation led into.
He nodded as if this was the answer he'd expected. "So, I'd guess you haven't told them anything about me. Since I wasconvicted." It wasn't a question.
Jo leaned forward, speaking quickly as if she could head his thoughts off from the direction they were taking. "Zane, whatever our issues have been, your record hasn't been one of them. If I didn't trust you—if I didn't believe what you did was just a mistake in judgment—we wouldn't have been together in either timeline."
His mouth twisted. "But you didn't really trust me, not this time. I'm not sure if you do yet. Still, it doesn't matter, does it? I'm not the kind of guy you bring home to Dad. Which makes me just a good fu—".
"No," Jo broke in emphatically. "You're wrong. You've done everything that's been asked of you since you got here. You're going to Titan. And you deserve it. You're one of the smartest people in this town, which is really saying something." She looked directly into his eyes. "I am proud of you."
"Great. Then let's call your Dad. I'm looking forward to meeting him, if only by phone."
Jo froze. She'd meant what she said—she was proud of Zane. But the idea of introducing him to her family felt wrong. It wasn't Zane—she just wasn't ready for them to think of her as being in any committed relationship.
"That's what I thought," he said softly. "Pardon or no, I'm still that guy to you, aren't I?"
Jo shook her head. "It's not that, really it's not. It's just that I don't know what I want…".
"But I do, Jo. That's the problem, I do. And whatever you want, it looks like pardon or no, an ex-con isn't it." Zane stood and Jo followed, reaching for him. "Zane, please," she said, frustrated.
She was interrupted by a commotion behind them. Several uniformed military policemen were gathering inside the café's front door. One pointed in their direction and the group moved their way.
"What the hell?" said Jo.
"Zane Donovan?" asked one of the cops. He grabbed Zane's arm and tried to spin him around. "You're under arrest." When Zane resisted having his arms pulled behind his back, the other two cops slammed him against a table. As they clipped handcuffs onto him, Jo stepped forward. Vincent started around the counter, but she waved him off.
"What are you doing? What are the charges?" she demanded.
General Mansfield responded. "Don't interfere, Lupo. I told you months ago that Donovan belonged back in prison. You refused then and this is the result."
"What is the result?" snapped Jo. "What do you think he's done?"
"Not think. Know. He hacked the Astraeus mission system. Moved $100,000 of the grant money to a private account. And altered the candidate database to move an application in line for acceptance."
"That's ridiculous," sputtered Jo. "He's fully qualified for the mission—there's no reason for him to change his application's status."
"It wasn't his application, Jo." Carter said quietly. He'd followed Mansfield into the fray. "It was yours. This was before the candidate selections were made."
She blinked at him. "He wouldn't steal money, Carter." Her tone was pleading.
"It went to an account in his name. Set up in his home town," growled Mansfield. "I don't know what your motivation is in defending him, Lupo, and I don't want to. I just want him gone." He turned to the three policemen. "Take him away."
Zane spoke for the first time. He ignored Mansfield and everyone else except Jo. "I didn't do it, Jo. I'm somebody's fall guy, again." Held in place, he could only lean forward to look into her eyes. "Do you believe me?"
She didn't answer. After a few moments, she lowered her gaze. Zane's shoulders slumped. He let himself be led away without argument.
Carter rested a hand on Jo's shoulder. "We'll find out what's going on." She shook her head, eyes on the ground. "For what it's worth, Jo, I don't think he did it. It doesn't add up—whoever did this all but signed Zane's name to the records. It was stupid, and Zane isn't stupid. Besides, stealing money? It's just not him—he's not that guy anymore."
Jo startled at Carter's choice of words. Not that guy. She turned to him, eyes wide. "Carter, I let him down."
"If he wasn't involved, we'll clear him. Then you two will work this out," he answered. "It's time." She nodded and followed him out the door.
Jo drove out of town toward GD, mentally sorting through options for proving Zane's innocence. She'd start with a search of personnel records to identify anyone who had computer skills on par with Zane's own. That would be a small group.
Motive was another component—who would most benefit from Zane's arrest? Astraeus candidates on the wait list for the mission were obvious choices. Someone with a grudge against Zane was another option, but harder to find. Despite his history, he was fairly well liked in Eureka. With a start, she realized the frame-up could also have been directed at her. While few people knew about her relationship with Zane, anyone who did would know that hurting him would hurt her.
Or would they? She shook off the memory of Zane's accusation that she only wanted him around for sex. That was ridiculous and he knew it. They weren't just lovers, they were friends. Good ones. She cared deeply for him. It could be more... so why haven't you told anyone in the family about him? The small voice in her head sounded disapproving. Don't like that question? OK, here's another one-why would Zane think you don't care?
"I don't need this," Jo muttered. She pressed harder on the gas pedal, fingers tightening around the wheel. Which was fortunate as she needed to yank it hard to avoid a limo stopped in the middle of the road. One of the military cops who'd arrested Zane was kneeling beside the car, pulling a flat tire off its rim. The other two were nowhere to be seen. The General was standing on the verge, shouting into a phone. Jo pulled in behind them.
Before she was out of the car, Mansfield was storming toward her. "Donovan escaped," he spit. Jo felt her heart stop. "He won't get far. This is the end-he shouldn't have been allowed anywhere near this facility. If I have my way, he won't be seeing daylight again anytime soon."
Gravel shot out from under Carter's jeep as he pulled to a stop. Jo turned to him. "Carter, Zane's out there." Her voice broke as the worry in his expression deepened. "If he resists…". She didn't need to finish the sentence. The guys chasing after Zane were armed, and not at all inclined to cut him any slack. They would shoot if they felt it was necessary.
"Shit," Carter said. He walked to within inches of Mansfield. Injecting as much authority into his voice as he could muster, he said "Zane Donovan is a resident of Eureka. All previous charges against him were pardoned, so he's no longer on parole and no longer under federal jurisdiction. I've confirmed with the DoD Office of Legal Affairs that any crimes he allegedly committed are under my jurisdiction." *
He leaned forward, jabbing his finger at the General's face. "You had no right to take him into custody, so he was within his rights to escape an unlawful detention. If he is injured in any way, I will consider that to be a criminal assault."
The General's face turned a disturbing shade of purple. While he was usually a fairly reasonable man, something about Zane's presence in Eureka had always offended him. That feeling, coupled with the uncomfortable sense that Carter might be right about his lack of authority to make an arrest, caused him to splutter angrily. "Are you threatening me, Sheriff?"
"Just stating a fact, General. Now, if we can all settle down, maybe we can find a way to resolve-".
Carter's voice died in his throat. They all froze at the distant sound echoing from the woods.
It was a gunshot.
* This is nonsense. If a crime is committed at a military facility, the feds or the military have jurisdiction. A local sheriff? Not so much. But hey, that's what literary license is for.
