Chapter Six
Alt: Part II

Jo was scoping out the Astraeus site and frowning at all the security and personnel in the area. Fargo and Zane were behind her fiddling with the ionic resonator they'd pieced together from spare parts; Allison was hopefully on her way back with Grace to install the remote detonator. Everything was going according to plan so far and Jo couldn't wait to get the show on the road.

She glanced back briefly to assess the guys' progress, lingering a bit longer than necessary on Fargo. Jo was a little worried about him, or more specifically, she was afraid of what would happen to Fargo when they got out of here. She'd glossed over how Holly really came to exit the Matrix in order to keep him focused. He was definitely concerned about Holly but she could tell that he was also fascinated by the technology that made this whole ridiculous situation possible and it kept his mind from wondering too much about her. It didn't feel nice hiding the truth from him but it was for the greater good—or so she told herself. Jo supposed her guilt wouldn't matter if none of them made it out of this simulation alive.

Thankfully, Fargo had finally stopped freaking out at every little piece of simulated detail and was working with Zane to complete their DIY bomb. It had been both interesting and weird for her seeing all the updated photos and mementos lying around S.A.R.A.H when they'd gone to get the fuel cell from her backup generator. The attention to detail was creepy and there was no A.I. to speak of. Fargo had looked a little upset about the latter issue when Jo pointed it out and she couldn't wait to hear the story behind that.

Taking a good look around the living room as Fargo worked, she really could believe she lived there with Carter and Allison's kids as much as she hated to admit it. She knew the GD personnel files were detailed but seeing them used for this kind of deception topped even her heightened fears about a security breach. There was a stack of her monthly Guns & Ammo magazine on the table next to one of Jenna's coloring books; her firearms collection hung in a secure case on the far wall. Her favorite quilt, the one her mother had made for her when she was born, was thrown over the back of the couch. There were even pictures of her with Jenna and Kevin. And there were pictures of her with Carter. That had been the most disturbing.

She had tried not to think too much about it and truthfully, there hadn't been a lot of time for pondering the circumstances of the simulated Jo Lupo's life. But what made her most uncomfortable is that, despite her protestations, it wasn't so crazy how things had played out. If she thought she'd lost Zane a second time, especially when she'd left things the way she had between them, there was no telling what unhealthy decisions she might make. Her loneliness after the time shift had been hard enough. Couple that with Carter losing Allison after finally getting to be with her? She could see herself going into hyper-nurture mode and thinking that being needed and helpful was the same thing as being in love.

And although it wasn't like she fantasized about Carter, she had once or twice wondered about him—about them together. It didn't seem too out of order when they had been living together and, for a while, were sulking about their lost loves over a beer. But Allison and Zane were still in the picture then and they both were hopelessly hung up on their respective partners. Soon enough, Carter and Allison got their act together and Zane surprised her with that kiss that stirred up all kinds of trouble. It was the best kind of trouble, at that, she thought smiling.

Hearing Allison come running up behind her out of breath and flustered, she schooled her features and focused her attention back on the mission at hand. Allison stopped next to her and took a moment to catch her breath. "Grace was delayed by Henry and if he suspects something—"

"She'll cover," Jo responded with a reassuring smile. She briefly raised and then lowered her binoculars before passing them to Allison.

Zane handed the device over to Fargo and walked up to their look-out point to stand beside Jo. He was extremely tense she could tell. He didn't like the idea of her going into the ship without backup. Jo didn't like it either but Zane was just going to have to be irritated because risking anyone else for a relatively quick but dangerous task was not on the table.

"Without Grace we don't have a remote detonator," he murmured in her ear.

"So it won't work!" She looked behind her towards Fargo who was still fiddling with the controls and then scowled at Zane. This couldn't be happening. They'd gone to all this trouble for it not to work!

"No, it'll work," Allison assured her, "you'll just have to detonate it manually."

Jo didn't even try to hide her exasperation. "Seriously? Manually?"

Zane rubbed her back to calm her down. "Just stuff this baby into the engine core, flip that switch, and get the hell outta dodge. You can do this in your sleep, Commando Jo." Of course he had jokes. Apparently, it helped alleviate his worry given that he was still rubbing circles on her back. "This kind of deadline is more reason to have backup close-by though."

"Nice try but not a chance, Donovan. How much time?" she asked going into military efficiency mode. Knowing Eureka, it was going to be close, and as she'd explained to him numerous times, there was no way in hell she was letting Zane get anywhere near that explosion.

Fargo continued to configure the controls on the side of the device. "I could rig a detonation delay. That should buy you 10, 12 seconds." He handed the device up to Zane who handed it to her. She rolled her eyes at the confirmation that she had a ridiculously short amount of time to get the job done. But she'd seen worse odds in her time.

She raised herself up, device in hand and began walking towards the landing site.

"Go get 'em, babe," Zane called after her in a stage whisper.

Jo walked briskly into the Astraeus taking the same path she'd walked dozens of times before the launch, pre- and post-withdrawal. She noted the various military personnel posted throughout the ship and nodded to a few so as not to appear suspicious. Apparently, it wasn't unusual for her to be conducting spot security checks in the area. She held the resonator in her hand as if she knew exactly what she was doing and where she was going.

She also wanted to ensure she had a clear path out of the ship when the time came. Ten seconds was enough time to get out but there was no margin for error. There was an abundance of personnel of course but no obstructions as far as she could tell. Therefore, the plan was to basically follow Zane's suggestion to plant the damn bomb and book it. There wasn't much finesse necessary and she was all about keeping things simple.

Reaching the engine core, she inspected the resonator and was leaning over to place it securely into the access panel when she heard hard footsteps approaching behind her. Jo's pulse quickened and she mentally calculated the odds of her detonating the device and making a quick getaway before the intruder reached her.

"Chief Lupo. I wasn't expecting you. Business on the premises?" A stern looking military officer stood a few feet away. He appeared curious but not suspicious.

Luckily Jo had opted to stall rather than risk a premature detonation. She forced herself to relax and straightened her posture, holding the unauthorized device securely but in plain view. She didn't recognize this particular Matrix construct but no matter; she knew how to handle situations like this. After all, she was the boss. It wouldn't do to look squirrely.

"Just responding to a report of a minor but irregular power surge." That explanation seemed simple enough to her. Even if it didn't make sense, it wouldn't make a difference soon anyway.

"I didn't hear of any problem," he said taking a step towards her. Jo tried to keep herself from reacting as she gripped the resonator tighter in her hands. She was so not in the mood for this.

"I just heard about it five minutes ago and was headed out here anyway. It's not a security risk, just one of the analysts being overly cautious." The officer stopped his advance, possibly considering the strangeness of her presence and request. Jo could admit that it wasn't her best subterfuge. Her protocol in the real world was to call ahead if there was a matter worthy of her personal attention. She'd just have to go with this though and hope for the best.

"To make this easier on all of us, what you can do is check the aft power reserve units. Just ask the technician in that section to run a quick diagnostic. Let's cover all the bases."

The officer looked down at the device in her hand and then back up at her. "What have you got there?" he asked pointing. "Anything I should be concerned about?" She frowned, clearly not happy that he was going to be that kind of a distraction.

"It's a power distribution recalibrator," she replied, making something up. "Just in case I happen to find anything out of the ordinary." Needing to hurry things up, she decided to change tactics. "You are aware that I trained to be a part of the Astraeus mission and am well-versed on many of the ship's systems, including how to repair power irregularities." It was his turn to wince at her sarcastic tone but she wasn't through with him. "Now if you're done playing twenty questions, I'd really like to get through with this sometime today so I can go back to more important work. You don't mind do you?"

Obviously acknowledging the warning in her words, the officer nodded crisply, clearly uncomfortable. "Yes ma'am—I mean no ma'am. Aft power reserves, I'll get right on it." He turned and hurried back down the walkway.

Jo rolled her eyes and turned back to the engine core. She started to lean in, this time determined to get this job done, but again heard footsteps behind her. She backed out once more, now very annoyed. "Get lost on your way to the back of the ship or are you still trying to do my job for me?" If she had more time, she'd give this guy a real dressing down on principle.

"Don't tell me you're still on about that," came a very familiar voice.

Stepping out of the access panel, she found herself standing about six feet from Sheriff Jack Carter, nose still crusty with blood and looking much more alert than the last time she had seen him. And unfortunately, he was effectively blocking her exit off the ship.

"Hi honey," he said in a cheerful but menacing tone. "You need help with something?"

TBC...

AN: I'll try to squeeze in one more chapter tonight if I don't fall asleep on my keyboard.