Tony looked at the map of GD on the data pad he'd been given that morning and tried to figure out where Section 7 was, if he was already there, and if not, how to get there. The last thing I need is to be late for this meeting.
A man with dark hair in a plaid button-down, holding another data pad turned the curve in the hallway. Tony weighed the bad options of having to ask someone for directions or having Jo yell at him for being late. Being mocked by a genius for getting lost beat out getting yelled out for being late. Barely.
Tony waved him down, "Excuse me, I'm trying to find Dr. Barton's lab, 7-?"
The man looked up, "7-D10?"
"Yeah, there," Tony nodded.
"I'll walk you over."
"Oh, you don't have to do that, just tell me where to go."
He just smiled and rocked back on his heels, "Well, it's in a side hallway that's not easy to find, even when you've been here a while. And it's no problem, I have to talk to Dr. Edison and he's over in Section 7 anyway." So I'm not already in Section 7. Good to know. Better take advantage of the guide then.
Tony walked over to the other man's side as he started heading in the direction Tony had come from. "Thanks, man. I've got a map, but I still got turned around somewhere."
"Honestly, I think they designed it to be difficult to navigate on purpose, probably an extra security measure way back when they built it. I'm guessing you're the new DOD liaison. Jo's brother, right?"
"Yeah, Major Anthony Lupo." Tony reached his hand out, and the other man shook it. Jo wasn't kidding about the speed of the small-town grapevine.
"Zane Donovan. Nice to meet you."
"You too."
Zane went down another hallway that Tony had walked past earlier and made another sharp turn to a narrower hallway that Tony wasn't even sure was on his map. Had he even been looking at the right floor? The steel gray walls, glass accents, and lack of signage just blended together to form the maze that was Global Dynamics. "So, Jo just left you to wander the building by yourself?" he asked, an eyebrow raised.
"She had to take care of the Astraeus physical fitness training. Why they're letting her handle the training when she's a candidate, I don't understand."
"Because they're basing most of that criteria for the final test off of the Emergency Physical Response Tests, which security personnel in town have to take, and your sister has consistently gotten a perfect score on that test. That's why." He led them to an elevator and punched in the floor, then went back to checking something on his data pad.
"Seriously?"
"Yes, she's very proud of being declared "perfect". She probably got caught up dealing with people who haven't done pushups since elementary school. I just got out for the day."
"Oh, you're also crazy enough to do this space thing?"
Zane chuckled and shook his head. "Look, you might not want to call Astraeus candidates crazy. It's a pretty popular position around here. It's the opportunity of a lifetime, and it's possibly the only chance some people are going to have to actually conduct their research in the field. Besides, it's space. Isn't being an astronaut every little kid's dream?"
"Most people grow up," Tony said as he tried to keep the disapproval out of his voice.
"I guess the residents of Eureka aren't most people."
I'm starting to wonder if, after all the weird research these people do, something got in the water. That was a ridiculous thought. At the very least, Jo had always been a daredevil, had always refused to back down from anything she saw as a challenge. Maybe this guy was the same way. Or maybe you just had to be crazy to willingly work here. Tony had spent most of his career getting shot at and using the classified technology that had apparently come from this place. He probably didn't qualify as sane by most people's definitions.
"There you are, I was about to send out a search party." And speaking of crazy people, there was his sister, now in a black pantsuit, rather than the tracksuit she'd been in when he'd arrived that morning. "And I, uh, see you've met Zane." Was she stuttering? Why was she stuttering?
Zane grinned when he saw Jo, one hand in his pocket, and leaned on the wall. "Yeah, he was wandering Section 3 and I have to chat with Edison about the upgrades for MARTHA. I figured I'd show him the way. But I'm sure you can take him from here, JoJo. I'll see you later."
"Yeah, thanks Donovan," Tony said absentmindedly, looking between his sister and the stranger. JoJo?
"Yes, Dr. Barton is a busy man, you shouldn't keep him waiting Tony, come on," Jo grabbed his arm and dragged him off to his meeting. And while Barton was going on about some guidance system he was putting the finishing touches on, and how it would revolutionize drones and other aircraft, Tony was trying to wrap his head around the conversation he'd just had. What had been that whole see you later thing? Was that directed at him, or Jo? And since when did she tolerate anyone calling her anything other than Jo? As he remembered it, she would accept Josefina on the rare occasion that her legal name was required, and the even rarer occasion that one of them got sentimental, which combined he could probably count on one hand. Otherwise, she had insisted on only being called Jo since Mom died. She'd refused to let them keep calling her Josie.
Tony and Jo left Dr. Barton's lab, Jo pulling up the map on his tablet. "So I think you went up one floor, rather than three like you were supposed to, and then I don't know how you ended up near Zane's lab. Why they let you fly planes when your sense of direction is so fucking poor, I'll never figure out."
"Language, JoJo." Without changing her expression, Jo immediately backhanded her fist into his solar plexus, which had been her standard reaction to nicknames since she was eight. It had been her standard reaction to anything he or their brothers did that annoyed her. "Good to know you haven't changed that much."
She froze and her body tensed. She kept her eyes fixed on the map, then slowly asked, almost as if she was afraid of the answer, "What makes you think I've changed?"
"You let Zane call you JoJo. You didn't even punch him for it."
"I'm the security officer here. If I went around assaulting employees, I'd have to escort myself to my own cell."
"That mean I can call you Josie again?"
Jo rolled her eyes. "You're my brother, it's my God-given right to beat the crap out of you. I don't care what the DOD says."
"Yeah, then what was that whole 'see you later' thing? I know I didn't make plans with him when we were in the elevator," Tony asked.
"He's the one helping me study for the written test for the Astraeus mission. We're meeting up later."
"After dinner, or?"
"Actually we were going to get dinner at Café Diem and review some stuff there. We had plans for yesterday, but someone got in early, and I had to come here to set up their security clearance." She looked at him for the first time since they got into the meeting, eyebrow arched, practically daring him to say something.
So he did.
"Helping you study for the Astraeus mission?"
"Yes."
"Meeting up over dinner, hanging out on a Sunday," Tony decided he might as well be blunt. That was the only tactic that ever worked with her. "Jo, has it occurred to you he might be doing this because he's trying to get in your pants?"
She blinked at him a few times, "Excuse me?"
"I'm just saying, I saw the way he looked at you. And helping a girl study, come on, that might not be the oldest trick in the book, but it's a pretty old one. I'm not saying you shouldn't take advantage of his help, but you know. Be careful."
"Be careful."
"Trust me, I know you can take him out blindfolded and both hands tied behind your back. I just don't want you to be surprised or disappointed. You know, when he turns out to be, well, a guy."
Jo leaned back against the wall, closed her eyes, and took a breath before looking back at him. "Tony, I appreciate the concern, but Zane's not helping me with the Astraeus because he thinks it'll help him get in my pants."
"How can you be so sure about that? Again, he's a dude. I know between the three of us and the army you kinda were always 'one of the boys' but Jo, there's some stuff that doesn't get brought up in front of you."
She glared at him, having gone from neutral displeasure to full-blown annoyance, "Why would he put in the effort of making up study plans, teaching me orbital mechanics, and the laws of the universe, for something he'd already been getting for two months?"
Tony tried not to gape at her. "I'm sorry, what?"
"You heard me the first time, I'm not repeating myself."
Tony shoved his hands in his pocket and ducked his head down towards Jo. "So, what exactly is going on with…" he whispered as he gestured his hands between his sister and behind them.
"We're dating. It's still pretty early and casual, you don't need to know more than that," she said as she continued down the hall, slipping past the group of people in lab coats arguing about some chemicals he'd last learned about in high school.
"Jo, I'm your brother."
"And the only reason you're meeting him now is that you showed up out of the blue, and in case you didn't notice, it's a small town. Someone would have said something to you eventually," she said through gritted teeth.
"You didn't let me meet him, I ran into him in the hallway. And he knew I was your brother, why didn't he say anything?"
"Because I warned him my brother was in town, and he didn't want to get shot," Jo just rolled her eyes. "Honestly, did they check your head before you got transferred here?"
"Hey!"
"I'm just saying, you were on active duty, you might have gotten a head injury at some point. I'd hope they make sure your brains weren't scrambled before they upped your security clearance."
"Were you always this annoying? And stop trying to change the subject."
"I think it's called the natural flow of conversation. That topic ran its course."
"That topic. The topic of your dating life. And your boyfriend."
"We're dating, we haven't technically, never mind. Anyway, moving on. You have a meeting with Dr. Parrish next in NLWPs. I'll drop you off, make sure you don't get lost again," she sped up, motioning for him to keep up.
Tony paid better attention during this meeting with Parrish, who was going over the current projects in the Non-Lethal Weapons Lab, as well as his own career highlights. The Aggression Suppression System seemed as though it could have some useful applications, though he was concerned by how Parrish glossed over his question about possible side effects and complications.
"And my limacoids, which I developed for the Titan mission, can also be used as field rations. They are a nutritionally perfect food, which will provide for every dietary need on Titan, and on Earth."
Tony just raised his eyebrows. "You do realize that I don't have any say over candidate selection for the mission, right?"
Parrish smiled in a way that didn't quite meet his eyes. "I understand completely. Given your sister's surprising decision to attempt to put her hat in the ring. The DOD wouldn't want any implications of impropriety."
Tony decided that he'd take the opportunity to hear from one of his sister's coworkers about what was going on. At the very least he might get a little more information on the process of mission selection. "You were surprised that she'd want to go to space? Seems like most people would consider it the opportunity of a lifetime."
"Oh, I'm sure she would want to. It's just, well, I shouldn't. It is impolite to engage in gossip about one's coworkers."
"She's my sister. I guarantee you, I've said worse about her." And Rico, Nicky, and I are the only ones allowed to say those things.
"It's just that the Astraeus selection process is highly competitive, and all the other applicants have at least one Ph.D. The written test is expected to cull the herd, so to speak. People who specialize in Astrophysics and Orbital Dynamics are not guaranteed spots. Much less someone who started picking it up a few months ago."
Tony's jaw tightened as he forced a smile as bland as Parrish's to his own face. "Well, Jo's always been stubborn when it comes to a challenge. And I understand she's been getting advice from someone who has specialized in the subject, so clearly, not everyone thinks she's hopeless."
"Oh, I don't think she's hopeless. I'm certain she would make a valuable asset to the Astraeus mission. And as for Donovan, well, it's just a shame he's ineligible for the mission. I don't pretend to understand why he shows up candidate events." The tone in Parrish's voice made it very clear he thought it was anything but a shame Zane was ineligible, and he didn't seem genuine when he claimed he thought Jo would be an asset.
"What is it that disqualifies him?"
Parrish just blinked at him, "His record obviously makes him a no-fly."
"I imagine he would have been cut from the first round of interviews if there were questions about his accomplishments or abilities."
Dr. Parrish chuckled. "I suppose I wasn't being very clear. It is your first day after all. I was referring to his criminal record. He's technically in Eureka on parole."
Tony kept his tone clipped, which was as close to neutral as he could manage, "I see." Jo, what the hell. Tony wrapped up his meeting with Parrish and made his way back to his new office. He pulled up employee records and hesitated before clicking on Zane Donovan's file. Please don't be a serial killer. For the love of God, don't let her taste in men be bad enough for a genius serial killer.
3.1 million dollars from the US government
Suspected of crashing the New York Stock Exchange
Computer piracy
Grand Larceny
In Eureka on parole for the next 3 years to finish out his sentence
He leaned back in his chair and ran a hand over his buzzed hair. Well, at least he's not a murderer.
Tony saw the blue Subaru his sister had been driving that morning parked outside Café Diem and slammed his own door shut when he saw the motorcycle that he knew was registered to Donovan parked next to it. He made his way in and scanned the room, barely taking time to acknowledge the owner, Vincent.
And there she was. His sister. Sitting at a table with the convict over a data pad and dinner, smiling at him like he held the key to everything she wanted. Seeing as he was helping her study to become an astronaut, he might as well be holding that key.
Tony walked over and tapped Jo on the shoulder. "Hey Jo, mind if I have a quick word?"
She turned over her shoulder, barely looking at him. "I'm kind of in the middle of something right now."
"Oh, it'll only take a minute, I'll have you right back to your Titan Prep soon enough."
"Go, you could probably use a quick break," Zane said, leaning over and kissing her cheek. Jo got up and went with him over to an unoccupied corner, where Tony could still feel everyone's eyes on them.
"That was brave of him, kissing you in front of big brother."
She scoffed. "That was a peck on the cheek. I've seen you give similar kisses to Aunt Rosie. You expect to get sucker-punched by Dad at the next family dinner?"
"No, plus I bet not a lot scares a guy who's been to Federal Prison."
Jo stilled. "You looked at his file."
"Yeah."
She rounded on him, fury lighting up her eyes, barely contained in the rest of her small frame. "Seriously, you couldn't even wait to get to know him properly first," she whispered.
He couldn't believe what he was hearing from her. "And be the only one around here who didn't know he crashed the New York Stock Exchange?"
"Allegedly, no one was able to prove that was him."
"Jo, if that's the best defense you've got for the guy," he broke off. "What the hell do you see in him?"
"That's not your business."
"I'm your brother, and I have to work with the two of you for the foreseeable future. Both of those make it my business."
"Can't you just accept the fact that I am happy and be done with it?"
"He's a convicted felon who's not allowed to leave the state without the Sheriff's permission. How do you think bringing him home to Dad is gonna work?"
"Ok, we're getting a little ahead of ourselves here. It's only been a few months, and we're still, you know, pretty casual."
"Casual."
"You know, seeing where it goes. Letting it be."
"Where the hell can you possibly see this going?"
"Your minute's up. I'm done with this conversation," Jo turned and walked back to her seat where Zane was watching them. She took a bite of her salad and pulled the data pad back in front of her, pointedly ignoring him.
Tony sat down at the counter and gave a stiff smile to Vincent while he put his order in. What the hell was going on in Jo's head? Sure she never gave a lot of detail about her dating life, at least not to him, but was this really the kind of guy she was into? She'd been a Ranger, then a cop, weren't girls supposed to grow out of the whole Bad Boy appeal in high school or college? God, he hoped this was a one-off and not part of a pattern.
If I want to know more about what she does, well, desperate times, desperate measures.
He'd have to talk to Nicky.