A/N: Yes, I know I skipped an episode. I might go back and try and write it out, but then again I might not. We'll all just have to wait and see.


"Nathan?" Allison called as she walked off the elevator.

"Allison? It's late," the scientist told her as he turned back to his work.

"It's seven o'clock," she told him. "In the morning."

"Oh," Nathan stated as he looked at his watch, brow furrowed.

"Have you been here all night?" she asked.

"Yeah, I guess I got a little caught up," he told her. "How's the budget going?" he asked her.

"It's not," Allison answered as Nathan poured himself a cup of coffee. "I have to justify a number that will keep Global cutting-edge and still give Congress something to slash. You saw what they did to NASA."

"So when does Congressman Faraday get in?" Nathan asked.

"He's in. Flew in from McChord Air Force Base last night. And he expects hard numbers and a field test of the PX-319 project at 9:00 a.m. Hopefully he'll be impressed," Allison told him with a pointed look. Nathan gave a short laugh.

"No, hopefully he's forgotten that you called him a shameless grandstander in front of the defense appropriations committee.

"He brought that upon himself. The man's smart, but he likes the sound of his own voice too much," she argued.

"Hmm. Now who does that remind me of?" Nathan asked sarcastically. Allison heaved a sigh.

"Oh, maybe a little groveling will help. Whatever it takes," she sighed. "Global's future is all I care about."

"That sounds familiar, too," Nathan told her.

"This has to go smoothly, Nathan. And not just for Global. Maybe you can talk to the Sheriff Carter," she stated as she headed for the door. "See if he can keep things quiet around here, for a change."

"I'll see what I can do, Allison." He told her as he sat down at his desk and took a sip of his coffee.

~Scene Change~

"Nothing like a little Vinspresso to start the day off, huh?" Nathan asked.

"I'm waiting," Jack told him as he and Jo kept pace with the scientist.

"For what?" Nathan snapped.

"Oh, come on," Jack laughed. "You're making small talk, you're buying me coffee, which means either, A: you're into me or B: you want something."

"Could you be more of an idiot?" Nathan snarked.

"Come clean or I'll make my own assumptions," Jack warned him. Nathan sighed heavily. "Okay," Carter sighed. "Nathan Stark, really into me! Spread it around!"

"ALL RIGHT!" Nathan cut him off. "We have a visitor in town."

"See, was that so hard?" Jack asked him as they crossed the street.

"We do?" Jo asked.

"Congressman Faraday got in last night," Nathan continued.

"Huh. And you're telling me this why?" Jack asked.

"We're under budget review," Nathan told him, pulling the other man to a stop outside of the sheriff's office. "Faraday's tour has to go smoothly. Could you please just keep a lid on things? I have great faith in your abilities," he stated – sarcasm barely present. Jack grinned at the scientist.

"No, you don't."

"No, I don't," Nathan quickly agreed, "but I still need a day or two of quiet."

"In this town? That's easier said than done." Almost as if on cue, Henry rushed out of the police station.

"Sheriff, something's happened to Spencer."

"I didn't hear that!" Nathan shouted as he walked away, leaving Jack to deal with the mechanic.

~Scene Change~

"Allison, could you -" Nathan trailed off and Allison led the Congressman away. "So how's Spencer?" he asked softly.

"Uh, he's been better," Jack stated, shoving his hands into his pockets. "How's Fargo?"

"Last person to see Fargo was Dr. Sharat and he missed a critical meeting with me. It's not like him."

"Spencer was acting odd, too. I need to talk to Dr. Sharat," he stated, moving to head towards the doctor.

"Uh, that's going to have to wait," Stark told him, blocking the sheriff's path. "She's kind of in the middle of something important."

"Well, so am I and you called me, so..." He ducked around the scientist and headed toward the lab. Nathan let out a small huff of amusement that he would never admit to. By the time he caught up with the other man, Allison was already telling the Congressman about the latest project and how it would revolutionize warfare. Dr. Sharat began the demonstration though the monkeys showed no signs of aggression. Dr. Stark spoke softly with Dr. Sharat before Congressman Faraday pulled him out of the room. Jack gave him an encouraging smile before beginning his interview with the other scientist.

"So I understand you spoke to Douglas Fargo this morning?" he asked.

"The man's lost him mind. If you find him, shoot him," she told the sheriff as she continued her calculations. Jack's cell phone rang, interrupting his gob-smacked expression.

"I'll take that as a yes," he stated as he pulled his phone out of his pocket. "Thank you for your time. Nice monkeys!" he called as he exited the lab. "Carter. Whoa, whoa, whoa, Vincent did what? Perfect," Jack sighed as he snapped his cell phone shut. "Vincent just -" he began as Stark caught up with him.

"No, I don't want to hear it." Nathan growled.

"Jo, I need you to get down to Cafe Diem. Vincent disappeared during the lunch rush," Jack ordered over his walkie-talkie. "Jo, come in. Over. Jo." When he got nothing in reply he shoved his phone back into his pocket and turned to the scientist. "Okay, today's officially missing persons' day. But you don't want to hear it," he stated as he turned and headed out of Global Dynamics.

"A day or two of quiet wasn't an unreasonable request!" Stark shouted after him.

~Scene Change~

"So what makes you think Jo and the others are coming for Spencer?" Allison asked as she quickly exited the vehicle and popped open the trunk.

"Occam's Razor." Jack responded shortly.

"Okay, you're spending way too much time with Henry," Allison told the sheriff as she opened the case in her trunk. "Borrowed this from Section Four," she told the him.

"I want to stop them, not vaporize them," Jack argued as he shut the trunk.

"It's a 'pep'. Pulse Energy Projectile Rifle. It's for crowd control, completely non-lethal," she continued as she turned and headed towards Beverly's house.

"Hey, did you pass that weapons test?" Jack asked.

"It's not that difficult, Carter," she told him.

"Allison, Carter, what is going on?" Beverly demanded as she met the two people outside.

"Where's Spencer?" Jack asked, pushing past the red-head.

"Inside and he's getting worse." Beverly told them as she followed after. "What happened to your head?" she asked Carter.

"Had a trust issue," Jack told her.

"Their leader is here. He looks human, but it's just a guise. You can see it. Hideous, under the skin," Spencer stated, his eyes staring vacantly.

"We will not let anything happen to you, Spencer." Beverly assured the young scientist. "Will we, Sheriff?" she asked loudly.

"No," Jack told her, pulling his eyes away from the window. "I'm going to stay in position here in the foyer. Allison, why don't you take the back and pep the hell out of anything that comes from behind."

"Okay." As she moved to take her position, Spencer's hand shot out and grabbed her arm.

"He picked Eureka for a reason." Spencer said slowly.

"He?" Allison asked, sharing a significant look with Carter.

"He can't be trusted. I-I need to-" Spencer stated as he stood up and let the blanket fall from his shoulders. "I need to go. We have to capture him and interrogate him. He must be stopped."

"Who?" Jack asked.

"Their leader. He's infiltrated our government and now he's here hiding in plain sight." Spencer told him. Realization dawned on Carter's face.

"Oh, geez."

"What?" Allison demanded.

"He's talking about the Congressman." Jack told her.

"He is?" Beverly asked.

"Spencer's not their target. Faraday is."

~Scene Change~

"Henry, give us some good news." Jack told him as he drove down the road.

"They were watching a movie called 'They Came to Conquer'." Henry told him.

"Don't tell me," Jack stated dryly. "Alien invasion."

"Invasion, abduction, dissection – this movie's got it all," Henry stated.

"Okay, still, it's a big leap from watching a movie to thinking it's the real thing."

"Yeah, but we're talking about Spencer here," Allison cut in. "I'm assuming he didn't just get this at Blockbuster."

"Not even close," Henry told them as he continued to fiddle with the scientist's computer. "Looks like he hijacked a satellite signal to intercept a digital broadcast. Then he bounced the signal off a Global Dynamics satellite to cover his tracks," Henry finished slowly.

"Oh," Allison stated, covering her mouth with a hand.

"Oh? Is this a good 'oh' or a bad 'oh'?" Jack asked.

"The number of the satellite is GD-85," Henry told him.

"Oh, no." Allison stated.

"Don't tell me, that's the one that screwed up your monkey test," Jack reasoned.

"They lost the satellite signal for a few hours Friday night. I'm assuming..."

"Spencer got it." Jack finished for her.

"Yeah... There's Nathan's car!"

"Henry, we got to go!" Jack stated and flipped his phone shut before easing his police jeep to the side of the road.

"Nathan!" Allison called as she ran to the prone body. "Are you alright?" she asked as she plucked the tranquilizer dart out of his body. "What happened?"

"Taggart, his deputy and my assistant -oh-took Faraday," he told her as he leaned against his car.

"Yeah, they're infected with your paranoia-inducing monkey beam," Jack told him as he tried to ruthlessly squash down the jealousy he felt while Allison stroked Nathan's hair.

"Oh, impossible, it was sent from a secure Global Dynamics satellite," Nathan shot back as he fought the after-effects of the tranquilizer.

"No, possible, Spencer hacked into it," Allison told him. Nathan stared at her.

"If anything happens to Faraday -"

"Well it won't now that we know where they took him," Jack interrupted.

"Where did they take him?" Allison demanded.

"Well, where would you go if you were about to do an autopsy on an alien?" He asked with a small grin.

"Taggart's lab," Allison stated and Jack turned away to get into his jeep.

"I'm calling Global Security Detail," Nathan told him.

"No, you're not," Jack shouted, turning back.

"A crazy cabal is about to dissect a U.S. Congressman. I am," Nathan told him as he reached into his suit jacket for his phone.

"They're not crazy. They're paranoid. And if they see a bunch of people with weapons, this is going to get waco really fast." Jack told him.

"My point exactly." Nathan told him evenly. "They're armed and dangerous. I don't see any other choice," he told the sheriff.

"Can't you just reverse the paranoid thing?" Jack demanded. Nathan held his gaze for a beat longer before looking down at his phone. "You don't know how." Nathan sighed.

"I know how to save a U.S. Congressman," Nathan stated, turning away as the phone dialed. Jack turned around and rushed to his jeep.

"Carter!" Allison shouted.

"This is Stark," Nathan stated as the car door slammed shut behind him. "Tell task command I need a detail sent to Taggart's compound. Code Black," he finished as Carter's jeep raced past him.

~Scene Change~

"Sheriff Carter, please stay back!" The officer shouted as the task command raced through the woods around him.

"I need to get in there," the sheriff stated.

"No, he does not." Nathan interrupted.

"Let me negotiate this. I know these guys!" Jack argued.

"So do I," Stark cut in. "Look, sheriff, I don't like this any better than you do but if something happens to that Congressman, what do you think's going to happen to Eureka?"

"We just need more time," Jack pleaded.

"Give us a chance to talk to them," Allison told Nathan.

"Sorry Allison," Nathan stated, shaking his head. "I can't risk it," he told her, eyes on Jack.

"Okay. Okay." Jack agreed, turning away from the scientist. "If that's the way this has to be," he stated, walking away.

"Thank you for your cooperation, sheriff." Stark said, eyes on the forest floor.

"Carter!" Allison shouted as Jack took off at a run for the house.

"Sheriff Carter, stop now! Hold your fire! Repeat, hold fire!" The task commander informed his team.

"Damn it," Nathan muttered under his breath. He didn't really start breathing again until Carter came out of Taggart's compound with his hands in the air holding his gun belt. But he refrained himself as Allison ran to greet him.

"So everyone's okay?" She asked.

"Oh, no, they're freaking bug nuts. Restraints. Now." he told one of the men.

~Scene Change~

"We reprogrammed the signal to stimulate the brain's pleasure center," Henry explained as he, Faraday and Jack watched the paranoid people undergo treatment. "I chose delivery footage each should find benign and peaceful." Henry chuckled.

"Well, you sure know, Jo," Jack told him as he watched the soldiers drag their boat up the beach. Henry patted the Sheriff on the arm and left the room as Nathan entered.

"Congressman. I trust this unfortunate incident in no way will affect our budget considerations." Nathan told him.

"I was abducted, threatened and humiliated by your people in your town on your watch." Faraday told him. "But in spite of this incident what I saw in there yesterday takes precedence." Jack turned his head but Faraday was already offering his hand to the scientist. "Dr. Stark. We'll be talking."

"I'm sure we will." Nathan stated evenly.

"Ms. Blake," Faraday greeted as he exited. The woman stepped up next to her ex, smiling.

"So are we funded?" she asked.

"For now," Nathan stated, not looking at her.

"Guess I owe you one, sheriff," Allison told the other man. "Getting the Congressman out relatively unscathed."

"A big one," Nathan agreed. "Thank you, Carter," he told the sheriff seriously. Jack gave him a small nod and Nathan took it as his cue to leave.

"By the way," Jack told Allison after a moment's silence. "I didn't do it for you." He turned on his heel and exited the room only to run into Nathan lurking outside the doorway.

"You don't say," Nathan told him, his mouth quirking in a small grin. "Who did you do it for, Sheriff?" Jack rolled his eyes.

"Out of my way, scientist, I've got to train for a weapons test."

"You still haven't passed that?" Nathan asked incredulously. "Seriously, Carter, it's not that difficult."

"No one asked you!" Jack snapped as he headed toward GD's door.

"See you around, Sheriff."

~Review~