Chapter Text
Witness Protection
Chapter 1
Adjustments
Jack Carter knew he was being followed and he was so on edge at the diner that he almost missed her. Almost. He paid the tab and joined his companion, Nathan Stark, back at the table as the man slipped into his expense overcoat and smoothed it out. “So you’ve probably noticed I’ve been more..”
“Tense?” Nathan hummed.
It was a nice way of saying he had been like a guard dog who’s shock collar was malfunctioning. “Yeah, well we were being followed and I’m about to go nuclear but not because you’re in danger.”
“Do I need to find a fallout shelter?” Nathan asked and the joke really just fell flat. That wasn’t like Carter, he always bandied something back.
“Just one piece of the puzzle I underestimated.” Jack huffed.
“Oh please don’t keep me guessing.”
“My daughter.” Jack mumbled. “She’s here.”
Nathan heard the edge to that and chose to wisely just follow the Marshal out of the diner and wait by the car. Jack marched over to the bus stop and grabbed a girl by the arm and dragged her over to the sedan.
Zoe.." Jack felt himself ready to blow, outrage just oozing past the seams. "I am working ."
"Yeah? What else is new.". She looked at the handsome guy he was with and then back at him. "Marshall Service really helps you with those long nights on the road."
Nathan Stark raised his eyebrows. The emphasis on 'service' was loud and clear. Jack Carter was not the boy scout his appearance and professional behavior made him out to be
"No, Zoe, I am working." Jack grabbed her and pushed her in the backseat and slammed the door. He looked at Stark, "Ok, I need to call this in. This compromised this operation."
"We are almost to Eureka and I do have to report to work on time . I am not someone who arrives late." Nathan reminded him.
Jack nodded. Yeah, it was in his profile. Doctor Stark thought being ‘on time’ was ‘late’. Everyone who knew him would know something was wrong if he wasn't punctual. "Fine, let's keep driving."
Nathan got in the car and immediately the girl put out her hand to shake.
“Zoe Carter.”
“Nathan Stark.” He shook her hand as Jack got in the driver’s seat, slammed the door and put on his seat belt. Jack was fuming now.
“Zoe. Give me your phone.” Jack said and held out his hand.
“Dad.” She protested.
“Zoe, I am working. He is a witness and you just blew protection. Destroy the phone or I will.”
“Or you could give it to me and I can disable the tracking without destroying the device.” Nathan suggested. “I can even do it while you drive.”
“Yeah, okay.” Jack said and used the car hands free to make his call to his boss for him. Everyone present could here this. “And I’ll use my phone to call my boss and tell him three months of work is blown."
"Sir, I am not involving my daughter in this. This is witness protection because he's a target. I will not accept my daughter being collateral damage…"
" Carter, you have two options; Either she goes with you or she goes to jail ."
Zoe kept her mouth shut. She fucked up this time, bad . How was she supposed to know this guy he was with was a WitSec job? He looked like her Dad's type; tall, dark, handsome, smartass. And her Dad didn’t do witness protection jobs.
Jack gripped the steering wheel. "Sir…"
" Make a decision now, Carter. She goes to Eureka with you or goes away to juvenile detention for identity theft , impersonating a flight attendant... "
"I'll take her with me." Jack said and felt his heart drop. In one fell swoop he was the worst parent and worst Marshal in the world. Now Zoe and Stark were compromised too.
"Tesla High School is the best in the world." Nathan said, using his authoritative voice that never failed to end debates. He shouldn't step in on a conversation with Jack's boss, but he didn't give a shit. He had dealt with men higher up the food chain than him and with less courtesy. "Certainly if there have been truancy issues and well as felonies of this caliber, never mind tracking the best U.S Marshall you have, the public school system has let her down. Tesla will welcome her with open arms and I will see to it. Zoe attending a good school is a way better reason for Marshall Carter to be quitting his job to move in with me than to suddenly opt to be my trophy boyfriend."
" Thank you, Doctor Stark. I'll leave you three to adjust your cover story prior to arrival to town. Handle it, Carter ."
"Yes, sir." Jack nodded even though his boss was on the other side of the phone line.
The call ended and the silence was deafening. Zoe squeaked, "I'm sorry."
Jack didn't acknowledge it, he was already Father of The Year for dragging his daughter into a WitSec operation. He glanced at Stark. "Thank you for that. Appreciate teh insult that our cover story was weak."
"Eureka would have bought it." Nathan said. "Besides, I'm a father too. Bringing Kevin to Eureka was to keep him safe. I assure you, Tesla will probably keep her so busy she'll have no free time around me. I'll be working at GD or with Kevin. We'll minimize risk, I give you my word."
"Kinda my job to do that." Jack reminded him.
"Mine too." Nathan winked, Jack knew what his old job was. He had been read in on Eureka, Global and the world they were about to walk into.
Jack sighed. "Zoe, there is no other option this time. Either you make Eureka work or…"
"I'll make it work. " She said. "So what's our story? I'm good at impersonating…I mean..WitSec right? We get new names?"
"The truth is that Nathan is a genius scientist who a lot of people in the world want for themselves. He dabbles in Artificial Intelligence and everything." Jack said.
"I don't dabble." Nathan snorted.
"He dabbles in everything. Causally won a Nobel prize, got degrees and Phds that I lost count of , and a brain that can tell you the meaning of life, universe and everything."
"42." Zoe and Nathan chirped together.
"He's literally America's greatest weapon, '' Jack said. "And the world was content to oogle and envy him until this whole AI thing took a cold war turn. Now it's a race to see who can create it and control it, and he's THE guy who can out maneuver them all."
"Thanks, Jack." Nathan grinned.
Jack wished Nathan wasn’t so good at playing the part, he wished he had it in him to bark orders at his daughter but now he was softened up because of it. "So we're going to Eureka which is a town of super geniuses who get all the government's greatest resources to make things for Uncle Sam. Super secret. Super secure. He used to run the place and now he's going back to take over the AI department and win this AI war before it can begin. Which has a lot of people worried. So he's in witness protection, under my protection. We’re not changing names, Eureka knows him and we aren’t trying to change his life. We're heading there as a couple, that’s our cover. I'm taking a job as Sheriff's Deputy to make it work."
Zoe snorted in amusement and her Dad's glare in the rear view mirror was enough to make her choke on it. "You're serious? You’re taking a demotion? And you expect me to believe this is just an act? The dating?"
“It's not my real life Zoe. Nobody knows I'm the shitty Dad who loves his job more than his family and has never been able to take a desk job to save his marriage. And no, Nathan and I are not dating but it’s nice to know we are at least selling that.”
She raised her eyebrows. "Wow, are you sure the genius here hasn't had something to do with your self actualization?"
"No, the Marshal Service’s rather brutal shrink did that for me." Jack informed her. "The best lie is rooted in truth and to be this Jack Carter I base it on my actual life and work from there. So, my little felon, your truancy issues are going to be what land you in Eureka with me."
"Ok. What about Mom?" Zoe asked.
"I signed the divorce papers. That’s why I was in L.A." Jack said and she looked appalled. " Look, the shrink was brutal but not wrong. Your Mom deserves to get on with her life. It's not like we weren't seeing other people. Now, how I secure custody of you….no idea."
“I was asking how you planned on convincing her to let me live with you but thanks for letting me know you guys are breaking up.” Zoe wished she was upset, but it probably meant that her time with her Dad would be easier without it being charged with her parents marital issues. “If it's any consolation I have been following you two since that Dodgers game in L.A. and I really believed you were a couple."
"We needed a background that people he knows in Eureka could Google." Jack said. “And he took me to see baseball and honestly has great taste in food. The Marshal service got us in to places that have surveillance in D.C., San Francisco and L.A.. Pictures of us together. Three months of just getting to know each other well enough to sell this as real.”
Right. Zoe rolled her eyes. Because that wasn't the definition of dating. And they weren't just selling this, it had been enough of a change in him when he came home that she knew something changed. But, whatever, let him think he was just faking it.
"Eureka is filled with geniuses but they are embarrassingly juvenile about gossip.". Nathan explained. "Especially about me. And your Dad cleans up nice, which is why I’m still a little miffed he’s wearing that suit."
"Yeah, exactly how is it that you're single?" Zoe asked Nathan. "That's kinda a bit of a stretch."
"Oh, if you ask my soon to be ex-wife it's because I'm an asshole who only lives for work and took a job in D.C. instead of dealing with our failing marriage." Nathan chirped. "And I don't need a shrink to tell me I'm right, because I had enough of Beverly Barlow in Eureka telling me that during marriage counseling. What she doesn't get is that Allison and I used each other. As much as I wanted a family and a beautiful brilliant wife, she wanted her son in Eureka, his autism fixed, and a job with the D.O.D. So, our marriage wasn't a failure, in that sense. She got what she wanted."
"You're both getting divorced for this job?" Zoe asked. “How bad is this AI thing that you two are ruining your lives for it?”
"Your Mom and I have been separated for years." Jack reminded her.
"I've been separated for a year, with no contact from either direction. I'm not even telling Ally I'm moving back. Actually moving back with a new boyfriend and his daughter will be quite on point for how much of a dick I have been to her." Nathan shrugged. "Hey Ally, moved back without telling you and brought a new family with me. How you been? Yeah, that's what Eureka has come to expect of me."
"You two are made for each other." Zoe said.
"That's why I got picked to be his Marshal-assigned boyfriend." Jack said. "Zoe, just go to school and pretend you couldn’t care less about who I date. Can you do that?"
She sat back in the seat and looked at the backs of both of their heads and crossed her arms. Yeah, this was fake? Right . The chemistry was off the charts and her Dad didn’t work that well with people especially other A-Type personalities. He was bossy and arrogant and hunted criminals by himself for a reason. "So we're moving to science town with your new boyfriend because I'm a runaway who hasn't realized it's because I am not being challenged enough in school? That's our cover?"
"Yup." Jack said
"For how long?" Zoe asked.
"As long as it takes." Jack said.
"I'm very good at my job and I don't dabble .". Nathan said. "And more than likely Ally will be insanely jealous of Jack and this will rekindle my marriage. I complete this project and it will remove any threats against my life and then I can take control of Global Dynamics since I need to be visible in political circles to be director. Sadly, your Dad and I will break up because he will absolutely hate how I run GD and hate how Sheriff Cobb runs the Sheriff’s department. I'll rebuild my life and you can rebuild yours in a world much safer than it is right now."
"Except my Mom isn't going to take him back and your wife doesn't sound like she really is worth remarrying." Zoe said. “What if it does work out?”
“What?” Jack asked.
“You two. What if this fake dating thing turns out to really be something ?” Zoe asked.
Jack looked over at Nathan and smiled. "She's the daughter of a cop and a shrink, that's something you should be more worried about than her hidden genius."
"Sounds like a potential recruit of GD." Nathan said and turned to look at Zoe. "So, let's prep you for Tesla. It's not high school more like college. You need to know what you're specializing in. What interests you?"
"Crime." Jack said.
Zoe stuck out her tongue at him then looked to Nathan who actually was pretty hot. Damn Dad, you did good . She noted neither answered her question which meant that they had both asked themselves the same thing already. ‘What if this is something more than just witness protection?’ And she knew her Dad was very affectionate, and from what Nathan said affection was lacking in his marriage. She smiled. "Artificial Intelligence sounds interesting."
"Crime." Jack repeated.
"If someone wants to kill him over a chatbot, I'm curious about what I don't know." Zoe then looked at her Dad's eyes in the rearview. "Especially since the number one suspect for hunting down and hurting the creator of an automated response customer service robot would be you ."
Jack shook his head, as she mimicked him yelling at the phone as he tried to get a real person on the line for customer service. "Nathan, don't hold back, just use your genius brain power to blast her with knowledge of how awful AI overlords will be. Stealing art and making videos and writing terrible TV shows. Just scare her away from your specialty."
“Why? I’m going to need an intern.”
Jack glared at him. “No.”
Oh, they definitely had a thing. Zoe pointed to her phone which Nathan had already done something to. “Why don't you start by telling me what you did to my phone?”
Returning to Eureka was not what Nathan expected. Current Director Warren King was playing fast and loose with everything, including Allison Bake. Which was not something he wanted to walk into at Cafe Diem . There were no houses available, and while he wasn't expecting the directors house YET, he at least was hoping for something outside of Beverly’s Bed and Breakfast. And Allison's betrayal, even though he should not feel that way when he showed up unannounced with a fake boyfriend just to get a thrill of the reaction from her, stung. Enough that he felt his defenses were down and that Beverly would too easily spot it. The ruse would unravel fast. He might have gone a little too hard on pushing for a house, going off on Warren King on Main Street and asking if he was really using the bed in the director’s house, well that might have been a bit cold. He saw it in Ally’s face and heard it from Zoe as soon as they were back in the car.
She definitely was her father’s daughter. And she was right.
Thankfully he composed himself as they followed Fargo over to the old bunker where B.R.A.D used to be housed. That cleared his head enough to appreciate what was going on here; Warren King was a lazy prick, but he was still a genius. This play, housing him in his failed project, was a delightful cruel counter-play to him returning to Eureka to pay the hero. And to make matters worse, the Carters were perceptive as hell. Jack was on edge again and Zoe didn’t even want to leave the car. "It will be fine, let me just access the system and I’ll show you how well I dabble in AI."
"Oh, not suspicious at all that the assistant to the guy who has your old job, is in your old house and in your wife wants to put you in a hole in the ground as soon as you come back." Jack said and Zoe smacked his arm for that.
"Thanks for putting that so delicately, Jack." Nathan said as they descended the stairs to their new house, the ‘House of the Future’ that Fargo had to run inside and open and probably disarm.
“It's my way of being very clear about how much the cop in your life does not appreciate the position we are putting ourselves in or my daughter .” Jack said sternly and tried to not go for his gun while Fargo, the eager assistant, ran around like realtor on cocaine.
They got a tour of the SmartHouse from Fargo, or at least the living room and kitchen before Nathan told Fargo to leave them to it. S.A.R.A.H., the AI, greeted them and was more than willing to have him look over her systems to prove she was worthy of a family. Promising. He got to work on finding out for himself what they walked into as Jack shivered when he heard the pneumatic hiss of the door close when Fargo ran away.
"Zoe, stay with Nathan while I do a sweep." Jack said and handed her his phone, the contact clicked already for his boss. "You keep your finger ready to his that for an extraction if I tell you too."
"Right." She said and watched him leave, then looked over as Nathan just started opening up the guts of the programming system on the access panel. He was the real deal.
“Not how you expected your homecoming to be huh?” Jack asked as he returned from his security walk through of the house and nodded to Zoe that she could go explore.
“I wasn’t expecting a parade.” Nathan replied and kept rooting through S.A.R.A.H’s code.
“Yeah you were.” Jack said with a grin and went over to see what he was doing. “From the way Fargo groveled and looked up at you with hearts in his eyes, you still might get it.”
“You’re so perceptive and honest, Jack.” Nathan chirped. "Just adorable."
“It’s why you love me.” Jack said and looked at the computer and was amazed at how fast Nathan could type.
“I’ll be honest too. This used to be my project. This SmartHouse used to be B.R.A.D, an interrogation bunker for the military.”
“Well, times are changing, if B.R.A.D. wants to be S.A.R.A.H, I can understand. Go retire from military stuff and be domestic, sure.”
“B.R.A.D., the AI, evolved as testing commenced and he went rouge and opted to just torture people until they surrendered. So I shut him down.” Nathan explained.
“So, any chance I’m going to get some sleep tonight without worrying about being interrogated by your murder house?” Jack asked. There was only one reason Nathan was telling him this.
“It’s a good thing I dabble in AI and this was my project before Fargo turned it into his little ode to me." Nathan looked up as S.A.R.A.H. moaned through the ceileing speaker system. Awesome. Fargo used his own voice, 'girlified' for his AI. So much potential in that kid and then there were shortcuts like that which made him lose all credibility.
Jack looked at him. "That's not what I was expecting."
" Oh, Doctor Stark, I wasn't expecting you to go so deep. "
Jack eyes got wide as the house got vocal. Zoe came bounding downstairs, spooked by the porno house voice. He leaned over and quietly asked, . "What kind of interrogation dungeon was this, Nathan? The kind for bad boys ?”
Nathan bit his lip, trying not to laugh.
"Oh my God, why is the house moaning like a porn star?" Zoe asked “Or was that you, Dad , on the house P.A. system?”
“Words I want to hear from my teenage daughter for $100 dollars, Alex.” Jack banged his head against the closet door as Nathan let out a giggle.
"S.A.R.A.H is Fargo's creation. " Nathan answered. “He may idolize me.”
“ Idolize might not be the word choice for what I just heard.” Zoe said, hands on her hips, judging the scientist. So much for A.I. being the end of the world, clearly some people were working on it for other applications.
"Fargo who would win some massive points with his boss if he has some footage of us or surveillance thanks to his pet project we're going to sleep in tonight.". Jack mumbled. “You remember, that boss who you just cussed out on Main Street for having dinner with your wife?”
" Ooooooh, Doctor Stark. There. Right there. "
"For fucks sake Nathan, stop touching her." Jack huffed as Zoe started cackling.
Nathan smirked, he couldn’t help it. "Fargo wants to impress me more than his boss."
"By moaning your name in falsetto like a whore?" Jack asked.
"This SmartHouse and the Artificial Intelligence controlling it is meant to show me what he did with my failed project." Nathan frowned. "I wish he didn't just overlay it over mine but I'll fix that. Don't worry Jack, she'll be our house and loyal to us alone."
"You're enjoying yourself." Jack said, he saw it. The little smile that said he loved his job, loved getting back to his people even if he wasn’t expecting his wife to have moved on without telling him. The cover story aside, Nathan was clearly still in love and loyal to his wife. This wasn’t a guy who kept attachments he didn’t need or want. He had no qualms about burning bridges.
“I love AI. This is what I hoped we could achieve, integration in our lives. Into families.” Nathan said and looked at Jack just as S.A.R.A.H. reacted to his statement. Vibrating the keyboard.
" YEEESSSS, Doctor Stark. "
Jack rolled his eyes. “And she loves you.”
Zoe came over to look at what they were doing. "This is pretty cool, really minimalist decor but not really feeling the whole ‘home’ thing. More of a disaster prepper in the Playboy Mansion dungeon kinda vibe?"
"What the hell have you been watching!?" Jack exclaimed.
"It’s the only house available, and the important thing is we're safe. We can talk candidly here.". Nathan said cheerfully. “No surveillance going back to GD and S.A.R.A.H. 's pathways to B.R.A.D. are severed.”
“I’m really too tired to ask what that means. You tell me we’re not in some reality TV program being beamed to Fargo’s phone and I’ll accept that.” Jack said.
Nathan appreciated that he took him as an expert and gave him a smile as he closed up S.A.R.A.H’s access panel. “She is secure, we can be ourselves.”
“Great, so anything we need to address before our first day in Eureka tomorrow?” Jack asked.
"There are only two bedrooms". Zoe said and looked at both of them. "And I get my own room. And you two need to sell your relationship."
"Problem for you?" Nathan asked as Jack groaned.
"Easier to protect your ass, I hope you don't snore." Jack gave his pep talk before everyone went to bed. “New school and new jobs start tomorrow. We wake up in new lives tomorrow, just remember to tell as much truth as possible. Other than the two of us dating, there is nothing we have to lie about.”
“And you’re going to be sleeping together anyway, so really where is the lie?” Zoe asked. Fake Dating and Only One Bed! There was no way these two were not going to be something. “Ok, goodnight!”
"Just another day in Eureka, Jack." Nathan assured him. "I'll secure a car from GD tomorrow for myself, but we can have breakfast in Cafe Diem to start our day."
"As your house, I would like o prepare you breakfast for the dawn of a new day as my family."
Jack shrugged. "Ok, so the house wants to cook for us. I guess we do that."
"Coffee then." Nathan said.
"Very important we start our day in Café Diem to offset the disaster on the sidewalk tonight, huh?" Jack teased.
"It will help get ahead of any rumors that will float around GD about tonight if I give them something better to talk about before they get to work." Nathan admitted.
"I can't wait to see what it is about this town that is so special. So sure. "
"Yeah...you're going to regret saying that." Nathan grinned.