������It was 02:30. Zack had gotten a few hours of sleep. Troubled sleep, but sleep all the same. Then the call came from Sheridan. It doesn't take a genius to know if the Captain calls you at 2:30 in the morning, either you're screwed, you're about to be screwed, or someone you know is screwed and you're involved. It was the latter.
������"Zack." The Captain didn't sound terribly chipper.
������"Yes,sir." Zack wiped the sleep out of his eyes and tried to focus on the Captain's face on the monitor.
������"I read your report on Ms. Devereux. Very interesting."
������He called in the middle of the night because of the report?
������"I meant to discuss it with you in the morning sir. I didn't think it was pressing enough to disturb your sleep."
������"Well, it's urgent now Mr. Allen. Your lady friend is currently M.I.A. I got a call from Franklin about ten minutes ago. She's gone and Ms. Alexander has been drugged."
������"WHAT??" He was awake now.
������"Apparently a phony tech claimed Franklin needed her for a neural scan, complete with authentic papers.
������The guard waited a bit, then went to look for Dr. Franklin, wondering what was taking so long.
������They figured things out pretty quick and ran back to the room. Somehow the unknown tech managed to drug Lyta with a very powerful sedative and take off with Ms. Devereux. Doc says they gave Lyta something really strong. Apparently they didn't want anyone raising the alarm. Franklin gave her a counteractive drug, she should be coming out of it soon. Anyway they're scouring the corridors now, starting with Med Lab. I thought I'd call you myself. Is there anything you can add to this? Franklin says you were questioning her earlier."
������Zack could hardly speak. How did this get out of control so fast?
������"I.......uh.....I asked if she knew why anyone would break into her room. She said no. I gave her an inventory of her things and asked if anything was missing. She got extremely upset and started talking about a data crystal and some vids being gone. She said the crystal contained information on meeting her father whom she had told me earlier was dead. Then she refused to talk and Franklin said to let her rest. I thought I'd pick it up again in the morning. I left Reilly there to watch her. And Lyta."
������"I'm not blaming you or Reilly, Zack. You both did your jobs. This was definitely well planned and executed. I'd like you to join the search."
������"Immediately. I'm on my way."
������"Good. Inform me when you've got something."
������"Yes, sir. Allen out."
������The screen winked out. Gone. She's gone. I barely got to have dinner with her and now she's been kidnapped? What the heck was wrong around here anyway? First date he's had in a long time and he gets mixed up in this.
������Then he let himself start to worry. Who knew who or what had taken her? Would they hurt her? She was so delicate and she'd been thru alot physically in the last couple hours. Something not even meant to be harmful might injure her. Zack would never forgive himself if she was hurt. He should have stayed there himself. He threw his uniform on and raced to Med Lab to join the search.

������When he got there, there was already a fair number of his personnel assembled. A couple of them were in Jessie's room waiting for Franklin to finish with Lyta. He was helping her to sit up. Zack told the rest to go in teams to help search Med Lab immediately and then sent a few more to go help officers in the docking bays and customs. He wanted to close off any escape routes. Someone might have Jessie but they weren't going to get off the station with her.
������He stepped up to hear Doc talking to Lyta . He handed the shaky telepath a glass of water.
"Drink this but slowly. Don't make yourself sick." He watched her carefully. "That's it. Good. Just take it slow. Are you alright? Can you focus?"
������He ran a few rudimentary tests to make sure she was alert. ������"I'm okay," Lyta said. "Just a little woozy." She drained her glass and handed it back. Zack sat down next to her on the bed.
������"How ya feelin' kid?"he joked. He felt responsible for her current state. "I've been better, thank you for asking."
������She managed a halfhearted smile which was promptly dropped at his next question. "What do you remember?" He'd already gotten a description of the tech from Reilly. Older female. Mid 30s to 40's. Height and weight approximation. No distinguishing marks.
������Lyta shook her head. "Not a whole lot. I was sleeping and woke up suddenly. It had felt like someone stuck me with something. There was a hand over my mouth. It hurt. I tried to yell and struggle. They held me down and then I blacked out. That's all. It was too dark and too quick for me to even see a face."
������"That's okay," Zack said. "We got a description from the guard. I thought you might have something to add."
������"Actually, I might. I think your tech was a telepath. When I struggled I tried to scan. They were blocking me. I could have overcome it if I'd had time. That's probably why they chose such a fast acting drug."
������"Great, just what I didn't want to hear. Do you think it was Psi-Corp?"
������"Are the Centauri pompous asses?" Lyta shot back. Franklin snorted.
������"Cute Lyta. I'll be sure to share your sentiments with Ambassador...excuse me.....Minister Mollari."
������"Please do."
������The full impact hit him. Wait til he told Captain Sheridan they had Psi-Corp running around the station. He was gonna go right up the flue, as Garibaldi would put it. He wasn't too thrilled with the prospect himself.
������"So, we've got a possible Psi-Cop on our hands? That's interesting." Franklin threw his two cents in. "They know they aren't exactly popular around here. And they obviously came on the station thru less than standard channels. They must want this particular girl pretty bad."
������"But why," said Zack. "She was never tested. She just left the colony for the first time in her life. How'd they find out about her so fast? Plus, they have a lot of 'blips' running around here, including Lyta. Why target Jessie?"
������"She must either have information, or something in her possesion they want."
������"She told me all that was taken were some vids and data involving her travel plans." "Travel plans winding up to wherever her father is she said," said Lyta.
������"You think they might be after her father?"
������"It's as good a guess as any. Did she ever mention her father being a telepath?"
������"No. Or her mother. She told me they were both dead til I questioned her before the kidnapping but nothing else."
������"Okay, so secretly she's on her way to see her father, giving out the story that he's been dead since before her birth. Why say he's dead? Maybe he's not supposed to be found.
������"So, what, they're using her to get to her father? Then you gotta wonder why HE's so important."
������"Let's assume he's a Teep." said Lyta. "Kept his daughter a secret to avoid her being taken by Psi-Corp. It wouldn't be the first time someone inside has tried that. Her mother dies, he decides to run with his daughter. They find out, don't know where he went, but decide to use her to flush him out, and they end up with both."
������"But how'd they find her?"
������Lyta shrugged. "I'm just guessing here."
������Zack paced the floor trying to sort things out. They heard fast paced steps coming towards them and an officer came into the room. "Chief, team 6 radioed in. They found something in a dead end service hall on the east wing. A gurney and a tech's uniform."
������Zack whipped around. "Dead end? You sure?"
������"Well, there is an access panel that leads to the air ducts. The central ones."
������"Central ducts. Great. They have access to most of the station without being seen. Send a team in after them. See if they can pick up a trail. I'll send guards to all the access panels on the main level. Maybe they're hiding inside trying to keep it quiet til they find an opening to get to the docking bays."
������"Will do." The officer left.
������Zack grimaced and then called Sheridan and informed him of the new developement and their hypothese on why Jessie was taken.
������"An unauthorized Psi-Cop!?? On MY station??!?" Sheridan hovered on the edge of turning purple.
������Yep, Zack thought, right up the flue
. ������"It's just a theory,Captain."
������"I don't care. I don't like it. Not at all. Bester knows I will not tolerate any Corp activity on this station without my knowledge and I'd say this falls into that category, if you're right. Damn it!" The sound of a fist connecting with a desk followed.
������Franklin whispered, "I think he's upset."
������Zack frowned at him. Suddenly everyone's a comedian.
������Sheridan calmed down some. "Sounds like you have things covered. Use as many people as you need.
������When you find the perpetrator I want them brought to me immediately. Understand?"
������"Yes,sir." Easier said than done. Sheridan signed off.
������Zack sighed. "I'll never date again. I swear it." Franklin looked amused. "Never's a long time, pal." He took pity on him. "Look, Zack, we'll find her. You've got half our people looking for them and a station wide alert for Jessie. They're not going to have an easy time of it. Jessie only just arrived yesterday afternoon. I have a feeling they planned to nab her before she got to know anyone that would miss her. They probably didn't plan for the whole station to be looking for her."
������"Yeah, I know. But this is the Corp. They're sure to have a back up plan if she's really as important to them as we think."
������"Well, that's why you gotta find em before they come up with something."
������"Gee, thanks." He got up. "I'm going to head over to the rest of them up there. I'll leave a few officers here, make sure we didn't miss anything. Lyta, you can go get some sleep. I'd say you earned it."
������Lyta stood up, a little wobbly. "Thanks Zack. Let me know if I can help again."
������He nodded and walked out, giving out miscellaneous orders to his staff that was still there.
������Then he headed up towards the main level to join the search.

������Things were not progressing well. It was well into mid morning of the following day after a long and exhaustive night. Nothing had turned up since the discovery of the discarded tech garb in the service hall.
������Zack had ordered a shift change and the fresh bodies were on their way now. A few of the more determined officers asked to stay on, not willing to admit defeat. He was proud of them.
������He tried not to show them he was troubled but they were all probably thinking the same thing. The longer it took to find them, the more time the perp had to get off station with Jessie.
������"Chief, you should get some sleep." It was Robbie from customs who was one of the "fresh" bodies just arrived. He handed his boss a cup of coffee, a valuable commodity these days, since the break from Earth.
������"I'll bet you haven't slept more than 2 hours in the last 24."
������"That's about right. I couldn't sleep anyway, Robbie." He took the coffee. "Excuse the expression, but where on Earth did you get this?"
������Robbie grinned. "Commander Ivanova caught me on the way out of mess hall earlier. She gave it to me for you. Said she had a stash for emergencies, but I better not tell." He chuckled. "Guess I just did."
������Zack sipped the steamy beverage. God bless Ivanova. He owed her one.
������"Well, we can always black mail her with this later."
������Robbie laughed. "You officers have it too plush. Me, I got to drink some interesting green concoction. I was told the Drazi think it's great." He wrinkled his nose. "They can have it."
������Another officer approached them looking like he could hardly keep back what he had to say.
������"Chief? Can I talk to you for a minute?" He pulled Zack over to the side.
������"What is it , Clemens?"
������"Chief, we just got a guy Jensen says came thru here on a red-eye from Mars last night demanding to see the Captain. He wants information on the girl and refused to say anything else."
������"Where is he now?"
������"We're holding him in the customs office."
������Zack sped over to the office with the officer right behind. He saw a man sitting in a chair with his back to him, apparently not cooperating with the officer questioning him. "I told you I demand to see Captain Sheridan. This is extremely urgent."
������Zack spoke up. "I'm Chief of Security, maybe I can help you."
������The man spun the rotating chair around and Zack was blown away.

       
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