Disclaimer: I do not own Blindspot. I'm just borrowing the fantastic characters so I can play with them a little bit.
This time is was Zapata's turn to babysit, and she was not pleased.
Jane hadn't even asked Weller to be allowed to go down into the subway with him after Chao. She was still a bit shaken up from the incident back at the apartment building, and she knew what Weller's answer would be anyway. He hadn't even wanted to take her into a situation where there was a minimal chanceof a confrontation – and then she'd proven his instincts correct by getting into a fight as soon as she'd been left alone. Of course, her actions had been justified as far as she was concerned, but that wasn't the point.
All she had asked as Weller and Reade had gotten out of the SUV was that they take Chao alive, so that he could give them answers. Of course, that wasn't a promise that Weller could make, but he'd said they'd do their best. She tried to calm her nerves, but of course, she had no idea how to do that.
Now alone in the car with Zapata, Jane could almost feel the hostility radiating off of her from the front seat. She could tell that this wasn't a woman who found being stuck in a support capacity anywhere near acceptable. The look on the agent's face when Weller had told her to "keep an eye on Jane" had said it all. She was pissed. Jane supposed that in her place, she probably would have been, too, and now in addition to everything else, she was feeling guilty about being a burden on the team. The guilt heaped on top of her existing frustration, confusion, anxiety – and all the rest of the emotions that she couldn't even identify – was a lot to take. It was hard not to feel like a mess.
In the back seat, Jane fidgeted with her hands in her lap, alternating between staring at them and out the window, not sure what to do about the uncomfortable silence that had descended since Weller and Reade had left them only minutes before. As far as she was concerned, sitting here and doing nothing was worse than walking into an unknown situation, no matter how dangerous. At least then she'd be doing something.
"I'm sorry," Jane mumbled, "you should be down there with them."
Zapata snorted slightly in agreement before turning around in her seat to look at her. "Yeah, well, I guess it was my turn to…" the words had already tumbled out of her mouth before she looked up and saw the guilt on other woman's face. She trailed off before finishing her sentence, her desire to make a sarcastic remark dying on her lips when she saw Jane's expression.
"Babysit me," Jane finished for her.
Zapata blushed slightly, shaking her head quickly. "No, I mean…"
Jane tilted her head slightly and sighed, glancing down and then back up at Zapata. "I didn't realize that my being in the field was going to be so much trouble for everyone… I just want to help. I know I can." She thought for a second, knowing that her motives weren't solely altruistic. "And I just… really need answers." Jane looked away then, her eyes darting around anywhere but at Zapata, her face clouding over with desperation. After a few seconds, however, Jane couldn't help but look back up at her.
Zapata's face softened a little bit. Jane's eyes were pleading for her to understand, and she couldn't help but feel bad for the mystery woman in front of her. Yes, she was stuck sitting in the car while Weller and Reade were out chasing Chao… because of Jane. But then again, they never would have known that Chao existed, probably until it was too late, if it hadn't been for Jane. The fact that they even had a chance to stop him from whatever it was that he had planned was thanks to the woman that she was now "babysitting." She was here because of her, but that was both a curse and a blessing. None of this was Jane's fault, Zapata reminded herself rationally, and it allowed them a shot to stop something terrible from happening. As much as she wanted to blame her, she couldn't. Though it pissed her off, she knew it was the truth.
"I know," Zapata said, her tone suddenly mellowing to match the expression on her face. "We'll… figure it out." If Jane didn't know better, she'd have said that Zapata was almost smiling at her. Almost. Jane felt very self-conscious under Zapata's scrutiny, but was saved from the situation as a group of rowdy teenagers passed by the car, yelling something unintelligible, which made both women glance out the window momentarily.
It was quiet again as the teenagers moved along the sidewalk, and Jane returned to Chao's emails. There had to be something in them that would tell her something useful. Zapata continued to scan the area outside for anything suspicious. The silence in the car was now much less uncomfortable than it had been at first.
However, it wasn't long before they heard a rumbling that sounded like it came from underground, almost as if the Earth was growling. Jane and Zapata both snapped to attention, first looking at each other in surprise and concern, and then scanning the area outside, attempting to figure out what had just happened. "That sounded like… an explosion," Zapata murmured, opening the door of the car and stepping outside for a better look.
Of course, there was no way Jane was staying in the car. She jumped out only seconds after Zapata, and the two stood on the sidewalk, looking around. Within no more than a minute, people began stumbling up the stairs from the subway entrance looking visibly distraught.
Jane glanced at Zapata, worry written all over her face. "Do you think…?" she began, but found that she couldn't finish her sentence. Zapata saw how wide her eyes were, and remembered that they didn't know whether Jane had ever had training in what to do in a crisis. If she had, she didn't seem to remember it.
Zapata shook her head. "We wait here, watch for Chao, or for anything else out of the ordinary, unless we hear otherwise," she told Jane, forcing herself to remain calm. She'd been in much more dangerous situations than this in her career, both with the FBI and the NYPD, and she knew that the key was not to panic. After all, if you lost your head, you couldn't make rational decisions.
They waited by the SUV, pacing a small area of the sidewalk as they scanned for clues to what had happened, all the while keeping a sharp eye on the subway entrance. What felt like an unreasonably long time later, they saw Weller and Reade emerge from underground. Weller was filthy and disheveled, there was blood on his right ear, and was carrying himself stiffly, as though he was sore. The two women jogged over to meet them, unnerved over Weller's appearance and noticing the obvious absence of Chao.
As they regrouped and traded information, it took them only a few minutes to determine, between what had happened in the subway and what Jane had learned from Chao's emails, that Chao's target was much bigger than the subway. That had been his way of getting Weller and Reade off of his tail, but what he was actually planning was, they were fairly sure, to blow up the Statue of Liberty. The team ran for the SUV, knowing that time was now of the essence.
…
They were en route to the boat that would take them to Liberty Island, where the Statue of Liberty stands and watches over New York City, and the air in the car was highly charged. Weller had Mayfair on speaker so they could all listen in, his com having been damaged in the explosion. Jane was listening as the agents moved from one piece of information to the next rapidly, alternating between watching them and staring out the window. Everything was suddenly moving so fast, and this definitely wasn't a situation she was comfortable in. Then again, she couldn't remember any situation that she was actually comfortable in so far.
Her anxiety only increased when Mayfair asked Weller to take her off of speaker phone. That could only mean they were talking about her. Surely anything case related would be relayed to the whole team? She took a deep breath and told herself to hold it together. There was too much at stake. Still, she couldn't help but feel like she'd been punched in the gut when Weller looked at her appraisingly and said "That would explain a few things."
What would explain a few things? And what things? What weren't they telling her?
The rest of Weller's call with Mayfair mainly consisted of him listening and replying with, "okay" or "mmm-hmm," his eyes darting between straight ahead and out the window, not resting on her again. He hung up shortly afterwards.
They drove the rest of the way in tense silence, all four of them lost in their own thoughts and staring out the windows. There was nothing else they could do until they got there. Weller looked like he wanted to say something at one point, but he seemed to think better of it. Jane wanted to scream in frustration, but didn't actually know what she wanted to scream about. Then again, she realized, it seemed like she was spending a lot of time feeling that way.
When they arrived at the waterfront to board the ferry to Liberty Island, everyone jumped out of the car, slamming the doors behind them. Once again, Weller doubled back toward Jane. "Hey, what are you doing? Jane, get back in the car." He pointed back at the SUV.
Was he serious?
She began speaking even before he'd finished, however. "No, I'm coming with you." The wind whipped around them as defiantly as their words lashed at each other.
Looking directly at her, he raised his voice and exclaimed, "No, you're not!" He was really starting to get tired of her bullshit. Doesn't she understand that this is dangerous? That she can get hurt out here? he thought irritably. He glanced back at the SUV, reiterating, "You stay here," then looked back at her.
But Jane was having none of Weller's stay in the car crap, not this time. She could help, and she knew it, even if he didn't. "I saw the map on Zapata's tablet. Liberty Island is fourteen acres. You have three agents. You need another set of eyes." Weller glanced across the water at their destination, realizing that Jane had a point. They didn't have time to wait for backup. Even with the assistance of the police who were already on the scene, their task was daunting at best. They really did need all the help they could get.
"I can't let that man kill a bunch of innocent people," Jane added. "And if he knows anything about what's going on, about who I am…"
Weller looked at the blood still on her lip from the fight at Chao's apartment building, thinking about how easy it would be for something to happen to her. How easy it would be for her to get into a situation in which he couldn't protect her. This was a bad idea, he knew it was… but then, there was the pleading in her voice and on her face. "Please. You know I can help." Weller could see how desperate she was to help, and he knew that she wasn't exactly a woman who couldn't defend herself… and they did need the help…
Of course, this didn't change the fact that charging into this situation would be putting Jane into danger, and Weller was far from comfortable with that. On the contrary, as Jane pleaded her case, Weller continued to fight her insistence that they needed her help, arguing both sides in his head for precious seconds that they couldn't afford to waste. It was his call…
Finally, he gave in, though he didn't like it whatsoever. Without another word, he walked away from her, back towards the SUV.
Jane watched desperately as an angry looking Weller stalked back towards the SUV and opened the passenger side front door. What was he doing? She assumed that she'd failed in her attempt to convince him to bring her along, and her hands began clenching in frustration. What else can I possibly say to make him understand? she wondered frantically. When he turned around and marched back from the car, however, he was carrying a bullet-proof vest emblazoned with "FBI" in bold, yellow letters across the front.
I changed his mind, she thought in awe, relief washing away some of her frustration, as he came to a stop in front of her.
"Arms up," he instructed her. She did as she was asked, leaning forward so that he could slip the vest over her head. Before either of them moved, he looked her square in the eyes, his face even more serious than she'd seen it so far.
"You stay by my side," he ordered through gritted teeth. He couldn't stand being put in this position, and the thought of losing her threatened to derail the even, rational demeanor that he had spent his career perfecting. He simply couldn't let anything happen to her, though he couldn't pinpoint exactly why his reaction was so intense. Even he could recognize that she brought out a far more protective instinct in him than any other asset… subject… victim… whatever she was to this case. To them. To him. He had always prided himself on his cool detachment at work, but with her… he didn't seem to have much control over his emotions at all, and it unnerved him.
"Okay," she replied quietly. She didn't mind that condition. After all, she had no allusions about them sending her off on her own, no matter how helpful they thought she might be. Especially after what had happened in Chao's building. So sticking with Weller wasn't so bad. On the contrary, of the three agents, he was by far the one who she felt most comfortable with. The most important thing was that she was going to get the chance to help them find Chao. To find answers.
He was relieved that she immediately agreed to stick close by him. Of course, it didn't guarantee that she would do so, or that she wouldn't still be in danger, only that he should have the opportunity to protect her. Hopefully, that would be enough to keep her safe.
Just then, the boat pulled up to the short concrete ramp that served as a boarding area. The boat was smaller than Jane was expecting. She'd known that they'd be sailing across to the island after hearing Weller say so to Mayfair, though she really hadn't had time to think about what kind of boats were used to shuttle people back and forth. One at a time, the team took one large step each from the land to the deck of the boat. All she noticed was how it seemed to sway in the waves, and how Reade, and then Zapata, also seemed to sway as they climbed onboard first. Anxiety clenched her stomach and she moved toward the boat behind Weller.
Jane stepped across the gap last, and lost her balance almost immediately as she felt the sensation of rocking beneath her feet. She reached out instinctively for something, anything, to grab on to before she toppled over. Weller happened to glance over his shoulder at her at that moment, and thanks to his sharp reflexes he reached out his hand just in time to catch her by the forearm before she ended up on the floor, or worse, in the water.
As Weller stopped her fall by quickly catching her arm, Jane instinctively also grabbed onto him with her other hand. Considering how fast it had all happened, he was impressed with how firm her grip on him was. Her face reflected complete confusion and a hint of panic, but Weller just smiled at her, knowing exactly what had just happened. "You okay?" he asked her sympathetically.
"I, um… wasn't expecting it to feel so… different… on the boat," she answered, obviously still shaken.
Poor Jane. For her it's like it's her first time on a boat, whether it actually is or not. He found it somewhat… endearing, and he had to fight to keep a relatively serious look on his face.
"The expression people use for this situation is, "You don't have your sea legs yet," he told her, smiling just slightly. Jane grimaced. She was trying to hide her discomfort, and she was also a little thrown off by the sudden contact from Weller. After all, he was still holding on to her, even now that her rather spectacular fall was over. It was a good thing he was, however, because she wasn't yet sure that she was going to remain upright on her own.
She nodded slightly at him, not looking as though she was at all comfortable with the reality of being on a boat. Zapata watched her sympathetically from not far away, while Reade looked back from the front of the group, not trying very hard to hide his annoyance as he rolled his eyes.
"Do you want to sit down?" Weller asked her, gesturing to some benches inside the enclosed middle of the boat.
She wanted nothing more than to sit down at that moment, or better yet, to be back on land, but she was fighting with everything inside her to remain standing. After all, if she wasn't useful to the team, she'd be sent back to headquarters. It had only taken her the first few seconds on that boat to know that she hated that mode of transportation, but she was determined to be strong for as long as she could.
"No, I'm… fine," Jane insisted, her tense expression telling him that she was anything but fine. The engine rumbled to life then, and the team remained where they were at the front of the boat, where they'd boarded, as it reversed away from the shore and then turned around to face the headwind as they surged forward across the open water toward the Island.
Weller didn't have to wonder how Jane was feeling about the ride, because the fingernails that continued to dig into his skin through the sleeves of his jacket gave him a good idea. They moved out into the waves and he felt her flinch several times as the boat pitched in the waves, which only made him tighten his hold on her.
She noticed the slight increase of pressure on her arm. "You okay?" Weller asked her under his breath. Without looking at him, she just nodded her head slightly, which he understood perfectly. It meant No, even if she'd meant it as a Yes.
He felt her slowly release her grip on his arm as she attempted to get her balance, but he continued to hold onto hers, still unsure that she wouldn't fall again. Slowly, he walked her forward a few steps so that she was near the railing that went around the front of the deck so that she had something to hold on to, just as the others were doing.
As she tentatively removed her hand from his arm completely, she looked up at him in embarrassment, and then transferred her tight grip to the pole of the railing as they bounced through the waves that were so stirred up by the wind. When he saw that she had a grip on the pole, he let go of her arm as well.
Her mouth formed a tight line that was almost a smile, and she looked back at him and nodded a "thank you," at once grateful for the solid metal to hold onto, but also slightly disappointed that it meant that there was no reason for him to keep hold of her arm.
Breathe, she told herself as she peered across the water toward Liberty Island. She had a feeling that this would actually be the easy part of chasing down Chao… and she would soon find out that she was right.