Ralph talked animatedly to Walter about some new experiment he was working on and Walter tried to pay attention. It wasn't too hard to share facts, Walter could multitask easily. He kept looking over to Stiles with a perplex look. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore and interrupted Ralph.
"Hold that thought, yeah?" Walter said as he patted Ralph on the back and headed towards Sylvester's desk. He cleared his throat since neither Sly or Stiles paid him attention. When they did, he smiled awkwardly at Stiles and even gave a little wave. "Hi. There are donuts by the coffee machine. I went down to Jacob's this morning, so they're fresh."
"They're all double chocolate glazed," Sylvester said before he added. "I like the regular glazed ones. You could have gotten some variety."
"But double chocolate glazed are Stiles's favorite," Toby stated as he passed by to get some of those donuts.
Stiles's face was neutral and professional, but he couldn't help a tick of annoyance. Since it happened, he hasn't had a donut, nor was he particularly fond of that baked good at the moment. "I'm trying to cut back on sugary stuff in the mornings. Lead by example so Jason will make better choices."
"Right. Of course. Uh, I can you some fruit or-"
"We're here to work Walter." Stiles cut him off and said sternly. "Let's just get through the day."
"Hey. There's no need to be rude. Walter's trying." Paige came to Walter's defense. She felt guilty and like a Mean Girl. Though she believed she and Walter shared equal blame in this, she wasn't going to let Walter be bullied.
"To do what exactly?" Stiles demanded.
The team gathered around them to watch, feeling an upcoming fight between Stiles and Paige.
"Walter is an amazing genius but it's never been a secret that he, with the rest of Scorpion, lack in EQ. What might be normal for other people is very confusing to him when it comes to emotions. In that front, he's still learning and you should cut him some slack." Paige told Stiles fiercely as she crossed her arms over her chest.
"Uh, guys? Maybe we should-" Sylvester's attempt to cut in was dismissed easily.
Stiles was quick to defend himself and ask just as fiercely, "That's his excuse, what's yours?"
"Excuse me?"
"Walter's excuse is obvious to all of us, even he knows with the pride he has. But what's your excuse, Paige? You're the normal person that's supposed to guide them and considering the tasks you help the government I assume your intelligence is at least average. Or are you admitting that you were just stupid?"
Happy, Toby, and Sylvester all had shocked looks on their faces. Just as Cabe, Walter, and Ralph cried out in indignation, a loud SLAP echoed through all of Scorpion.
Stiles and Paige faced each other, Paige's palm matching the color of Stiles' cheek.
"A-hem."
Everyone turned to the person who cleared their throat. It was a man in his late 40's, salt and pepper greying hair, and a suit standard to most government agencies. He looked a bit awkward so he must have witnessed the last bit of that confrontation.
"Agent Sterling," Cabe said as he walked up to the other agent and shook his hand.
"Agent Gallo. Thank you for meeting me on such short notice. I uh...I hope we can move this along? We...we have a busy day ahead." Agent Sterling said.
"Of course. The team is ready. Aren't you?" Cabe asked them all with a strict tone.
"I think it's best if I removed myself from this case. I wish you all luck," Stiles said as he straightened his shoulders.
As he tried to leave, agent Sterling stepped in his path. "Actually agent Stilinski, you're not going anywhere."
"It might be for the best of the mission if I don't come on this one."
"I'm afraid you'll have to get through any sort of awkwardness. This mission is urgent, and also very sensitive. While we'll need the help of Scorpion for their genius with computers and hacking, we're calling you into duty. Giving you clearance for the day to some very delicate information. Information only you are allowed to see." Sterling said.
Stiles eyed him but it was Toby who spoke what Stiles realized.
"You're not Homeland, you're FBI."
"I am." Sterling nodded. "We fear one of our servers has been compromised and we can't risk that information being leaked. Agent Stilinski has been skilled enough with code to come in handy in previous missions he's worked on while in the FBI. You all will get him into the main server, but he will secure the information."
"Usually I do that," Walter said as he stepped forward.
"Usually, but not today. You're civilian and not even fully American." Agent Sterling looked between the team members and said, "Not all of you are needed on location. Just one of you needs to come along with Agent Stilinski."
"I'm the boss and the fastest hacker here. I'll go." Walter said as he looked between Stiles and Paige before settling on Sterling. He felt more confused than ever. He still felt guilty for kissing Paige and hurting Stiles's feelings, but he also felt protective of Paige.
"I can't see that going wrong," Toby said with his usual brand of snark.
"You guys stay on standby with your comms. I'll accompany Walter and Stiles on their mission." Cabe said.
Stiles headed outside without looking back, Cabe and Sterling followed, and Walter was last. He did look back at Paige, who locked gazes with him before helping Ralph make sure he had everything in his backpack.
"I think you were out of line with Paige." Walter broke the silence. He was riding shotgun while Sterling drove. Stiles was in the back with Cabe, mimicking Walter in looking dutifully out the window.
"Noted."
Walter scoffed before turning to look at Stiles. "Don't you think you're acting a bit immaturely?"
"I think I'm on a job and have to leave personal feelings aside." Stiles countered.
"Whatever problems we have Stiles-"
"We don't have problems, Walter. We're not anything to have problems."
Walter wanted to keep arguing the fact but the car's radio suddenly began to blast. After adjusting the volume only slightly, they continued the drive in silence.
"It's locked?" Sterling asked as he tried, and failed, to open the door.
"If it holds secret government information, I would hope it's locked," Cabe said.
"There's no one for miles. Or there shouldn't be. No one but my boss knows we're here today. I sent him a message when we parked. Doors should have been unlocked for us." Sterling said as he pulled for his gun.
"Whoa. What's with the gun? Could be a simple extra layer of security." Cabe said as he reached for his own weapon. Instincts taking over and suddenly he felt like there was something being kept from them. "What's really going on?"
"There's been an attempt to hack into these servers before. Security measures have been added." Sterling answered.
"Which means?" Stiles prompted.
"To get into the servers, you need to do it manually. But when you do...this place shuts down."
Stiles draws his weapon too. "So the hacker, potentially dangerous, can be inside."
"Any partners may also be around the area," Cabe added, looking around.
"I don't suppose there's a chance of me getting a gun?" Walter asked.
"No." Stiles and Cabe answered at the same time.
"Then I'll get into here. Happy, I might need your help." Walter said to his team.
"Roger that, what are we looking at?"
While the geniuses talked, the three agents gathered and talked about what they should do. "Cabe, watch over Walter and make sure if he gets in, not to go in. Sterling and I will do a quick perimeter check." Stiles said. One of them needed to stay and keep an eye on Walter and protect him, and Cabe was the best choice. Cabe nodded and once Stiles and Sterling were out of hearing distance and Walter knew what to do, he pulled out his comm and asked Walter to do the same.
"You wanna talk about it?"
"I don't know what to ask if I'm honest. I feel guilty but Stiles and I weren't together. We were just friends with sexual benefits."
"You sure? You've never had a boyfriend. I know you don't care for social stigma but it could still be weird for you to claim you have a boyfriend." Cabe told him. He knew how Walter cared for what his family thought of him when he was younger. His family was traditional in their beliefs, and same-sex coupling might have been something in Walter's past that he ignored but still categorized as bad in the back of his mind.
Walter paused his working for a moment before going back to it. "It felt like more, but we just never gave it a name. We were good...But he was the one who ended it. So there's no reason to feel guilty. I don't know why I do."
"He ended it because you and Happy were married. Not wanting to date a married person is common. It was implied that when you and Happy would get this sorted out and you'd to continue where you left off."
"But then I kissed Paige, he saw it and felt hurt. I get why he's hurt, but I can't let him speak to Paige like that. She has no more fault than I do."
"Or Stiles..."
"What do you mean?" Walter asked.
Cabe knew that this was adding fuel to the fire, and he should keep it to himself. But Stiles hadn't been wrong when he said he was partial to Walter. He hated that Walter felt so much guilt over this. "You kissed Paige, but he slept with his ex."
"What?" Walter demanded as he looked at Cabe with an incredulous look.
There wasn't anyone around the area, so Sterling and Stiles returned just in time for Walter to open the building's door. Sterling ordered Walter and Cabe to wait outside while Stiles and he went in.
For a while, it seemed empty inside until they nearly made it into the servers. Then there was a gunshot and Sterling's shoulder was hit. They dove behind furniture and tried to fire at the person firing at them until the bullets stopped. Someone tried to come at them and Stiles tried to stop them getting into hand to hand combat with them. They were well trained and had way more recent practice than Stiles. His face got plenty of punches, he was thrown into many pieces of furniture that his body broke. Not that he didn't he didn't land any punches himself. The other guy would look just as bad but other guy used the suitcase that he was stealing to hit Stiles very hard across the head that he blacked out for a moment.
When he came to, Walter was helping him up. Looking around he found Cabe helping Sterling with his wound. Sterling's face told Stiles that there was more going on that made failing this mission even force than a bruised ego.
It wasn't just a threat of leaked information that the FBI wanted to stop, but also stop a homegrown terrorist from setting off a bomb in the middle of the city.
"Since I only kissed Paige and you slept with Derek...I think you should apologize to Paige." Walter said as they drove back to Scorpion. He was in the backseat with Stiles, tending to his wounds as best as he could, being quiet.
They were both very somber with the information they had and the threat that loomed over their heads. But in the usual Walter fashion, he simply couldn't let it go.
"I know." Stiles didn't fight him on it. It made Walter feel relieved in some ways. He was even more confused than before on what the hell to do about the feelings he has, but for the moment he'll revel in being right once more.
"Paige." Stiles approached her while the rest of the team scrambled to get what they needed.
Paige turned to see Stiles and she gasped a bit at how he looked. His fight with the mercenary sounded bad enough over the comms, but looking at him bruised and cut up made it seem worse. "Do you need a first aid kit?"
Stiles shook his head, "It's worse than it looks. But listen...I know you have a lot of faith in this team. Almost to the point that the hubris takes over and wins."
"What are you talking about?"
"I'm saying that these guys meant business and they were well prepared. We have a fighting chance like we always do, but the odds are not in our favor. The whole city, if not the state is in peril. Even if we drove off as fast as we can if things go wrong..."
Paige's face told him she knew that.
"But if you leave now with Ralph on a private jet, you can be safe," Stiles told her.
"Where are we going to let any airline to agree without telling them why?"
"The Hales."
"Who?"
"My ex's family. They're super rich and have their own company jet ready to go. I know what I'm risking. It's practically treason but the odds we get this done in time is slim...I need Jason safe. So I'm asking you to be selfish. Bring Ralph with you, but I need you to help me convince them."
"What? I...I can't leave the team. If they're going, so am I!"
"Paige you're a civilian! You're a mother! Ralph needs to survive this, and he needs you! If you send him away, the Hales have no legal right to take him in and why would they? He'll go live with his dad, and if that's a good thing I think I would have seen his dad at least once but I've never so much heard him being mentioned. I hope this all turns out be a 'what if' scenario but right now we have to do what's best for our kids."
Paige's emotions were expressive, but she knew deep down that Stiles was right.
Stiles knocked impatiently on the Hale home. When it was opened he barged in.
"Sir, you can't come in!" The maid protested and followed Stiles.
"Derek!"
"Stilinski, what are you doing here?" Samuel demanded.
"You have some nerve barging in like this!" Talia told him.
"Can you two just...look this is an emergency. You guys need to pack." Stiles told him before calling out for Derek once more. "DEREK!"
"What the hell is going on?" Peter demanded as he came in with Laura and Cora flanking him.
Jason and Derek descended the stairs. Jason ran to Stiles, happy but confused to see him.
"Stiles, what are you doing here?"
"He's about to be arrested if he doesn't leave. I'm calling the cops." Samuel warned.
Stiles ignored him and talked to Derek. "You guys need to go. You need to get on your family's company jet and get the hell away from California."
"What? Why? What's going on?" Derek asked.
"Look, it's practically treason that I'm sharing this very sensitive information but it's not safe. You need to take Jason and get the hell out of here. And I need you to take Paige and Ralph too."
"What is this? Some scare tactic?" Talia demanded with a scoff, but there was worry in her voice.
Paige stepped up, "We work for Scorpion. We work with the government. We won't give you any more detail because we can't but...there's a huge risk right now. Leaving by car won't be fast enough."
"You expect us to believe you?" Peter asked.
Stiles was about to defend himself but Derek spoke up. "I believe him. Stiles has been working his ass off for everything he's gotten recently. This stunt would only send him back. So why would he lie about this? Why would he scare Jason?"
"I'm not scared!" Jason protested.
"We're running out of time," Paige told Stiles.
Stiles nodded and turned to Derek. "Pack the basics. You need to get going."
Derek nodded and turned to his family. "I'm vouching for him. If he's telling the truth...we can't risk it."
They looked unsettled as they shared silent conversations with each other before they all scattered to get packed. In surprising time, they were piling into the limo they had parked on the estate. Stiles helped fill in the trunk and opened the door for Paige and Ralph.
While they all got organized, Stiles pulled Jason to the side and hugged him tightly before kneeling before him. "Hey, kiddo. You...you know I love you right?" Jason nodded and Stiles did his best to hold back his tears. This was possibly goodbye. "I need you to be good for Daddy Der. Paige and Ralph might need your help to...you know how Peter can be when cooped up in one place for too long."
Jason frowned, "Aren't you coming with us?"
"I...no. I can't. I got to work."
"What? No, you're coming with us." It was Derek who spoke.
Stiles stood and his face relayed so many emotions at once without saying a word.
Derek shook his head, "No! You're coming with us! If this threat is real then..."
"Then you need to be strong and take our son as far away from here as possible."
"Come with us!" Derek said fiercely.
"I'm giving you an unfair advantage that thousands, if not millions, don't have...I gotta balance that somehow. I gotta try to stay and stop this."
"Why? Why you?" Derek demanded.
Stiles gave him a sad smile. He leaned in and kissed him deeply before pulling away. "Take Jason and go."
"Derek, we have to go now," Talia said quietly behind him.
Stiles began to walk back to Roscoe but Jason tried to follow. Derek grabbed him, "Come along Jason."
"What? No! What about daddy? Whatever's going on it's bad! Daddy has to come with us! No, let me go! No! Dad! Daddy!"
It pained Stiles to drive away, but at the same time, it reinforced his will to beat the odds and save their home.
"We'll save the whole city, hell, California but..." Toby said as he looked over their plan. They were in a warehouse next to the harbor. They managed to get one of the guys involved in all of this and two out of the three bombs. The last one was aboard a ship that already sailed, heading towards another port that was closer to the city. Their plan was sound and would work, but it didn't work from a distance. Someone would have to get up close and personal.
"I'll do it," Walter said somberly. If it meant keeping his team alive and safe...he was a small price to pay. He looked around, trying to find Stiles. Since Paige was on her way to safety with Ralph, he felt an urge to make peace with Stiles and have that be his closure. But he didn't find him. "Where's Stiles?"
Toby ran to the window and saw from there, Stiles getting into the only speedboat available. "Three guesses where."
"Not good." Happy said as they all ran outside.
Walter ran as fast as he could as he tried to yell for Stiles, "Stiles! STILES!"
They all had their comms, so Walter pressed his hand to his ear. Anger and adrenaline fueling him, "Stiles! What the hell do you think you're doing? Get back here, now!"
"We all know what needs to get done, Walter." Stiles's voice came in all of their ears.
"Yes, but it doesn't have to be you!"
"It has to be someone...and this is my job, remember? Your job is to calculate and be right. My job is to do the crazy jumping off of stuff and muscle job."
"Stiles. Look, there's a chance, however small you can survive this. You just have to find the bomb and put it on that speedboat and send it further off." Toby spoke up, getting the evil eye from Walter. Toby shrugged, "What? He's not going to turn back. He's on a mission and this way he has a chance. You hear that buddy? You got a chance and we always beat the odds. So just do what we say and we'll be home for dinner, okay?"
Despite Toby wanting to be optimistic, his mind kept betraying him with the all the facts that were against Stiles.
Things didn't seem any better once Stiles boarded the ship where the bomb was. He was met with a trigger-happy trio of mercenaries who really cut into the time for detonation. At some point, Stiles's comm lost in the fighting and the team could only watch with stressful anticipation. The ship was so far away, that it looked tiny in the distance. They knew to expect a big wave created by the explosion but if Stiles followed their instructions and buckled down in any of the places they mentioned, he should be fine give or take some injuries.
To their horror though, the ship exploded.
The sky filled with black smoke, and there were powerful winds that even they felt moments after the explosion went off.
"STILES!" Walter screamed as he ran towards the water, only to be stopped by Cabe holding him back tightly.
"That wasn't made by the bomb," Sylvester mumbled.
"Something might have made the ship explode too. Stiles must have gotten the bomb off into the ocean." Just as Toby said that there was a huge water eruption that caused waves to come in higher and rougher than normal.
"STILES! Let me go, Cabe! Let me GO!" Walter struggled but Cabe wouldn't let him go.
"I'm sorry, Walter! I am! But you can't help him! He's gone..."
Stiles managed to get to the ship and board it without being noticed. He was able to do a quick assessment of those on board and let his instincts take over. Once he attacked the closest one to try to get his gun, the shootout began. He was grazed in the thigh and shot through the shoulder, but he didn't let it slow him down. The adrenaline of the fight kept the worst of the pain at bay and he managed to eventually in the fight.
Good news? He was still alive. Bad news? Their fight had been more then wreckless when Stiles realized that they had some chemicals on board that didn't interact well with bullets.
In his mind, he registered it. He couldn't get back and he wouldn't. There was a job to do and it needed to get done. On autopilot, he looked for the bomb and jumped on the speedboat to try and get it even farther away from shore. He managed to be far away enough that when the ship exploded, his boat caught a wave and was pushed out more towards the ocean.
As he tried to make his peace with the end coming, he felt the winds pick up. At first, it didn't register because he was so far out and close to a ship that just exploded. Then he registered the noise of the chopper flying towards him. Before he knew it, there was a rope dropped to him, and thankfully his body was still on auto-pilot and he grabbed the rope and tied it around himself before being picked up. The chopper flew away to help lift and move Stiles away from the water.
Stiles barely had the time to sit before the bomb exploded, making a very bumpy ride.
But they lived. Stiles had to take a few deep breaths to try and calm his heart rate. Leaning back he smiled, thinking that their home was safe, Jason was safe, and that the team was safe too.
Then he noticed something. "My team's waiting for me at the docks!" He yelled to the pilot.
"You're not going home just yet, son."
Who was the pilot?
Stiles' old FBI boss. "Sir, with all due respect...what the hell is going on?!"
"Derek...hey. It's Paige. Um...I don't even know what to say. Except I'm sorry for your loss. And if there's anything you need...don't hesitate to ask. Okay...bye." Paige sighed as she placed her phone down. They had a lot of wins. So many that sometimes she forgets the reality that they live in. She goes to the coffee machine and absentmindedly prepares herself a cup.
Cabe joins here, "How ya holding up?"
"I'm fine." It sounded like a lie, but what else was she supposed to say. "He saved us, Cabe. He walked into his ex's family home and demanded they take me and my son to safety while he risked and sacrificed his life to save the whole city. Hours before we get into a petty fight and I didn't even apologize..."
"Paige..."
"I'm fine, Cabe," Paige repeated after taking a deep breath. She then looked up with a sad expression, "I'm not the one who really needs you right now."
Cabe followed her gaze to Walter's work area. He knew what she meant. Walter with basic emotions sometimes acted irrational, but Walter with deep emotions like the loss of a loved one and grief made for a very reckless genius.
"Ready Sy?" Happy asked.
"Yeah. Dyfrost brought me the new issue yesterday." Sly said as he put on his backpack.
"Where are you two off to?" Cabe asked.
"Stilinski didn't ditch us when he wasn't employed here anymore. We're not gonna ditch, Jason." Happy replied curtly. There was some ice in her voice. She was angry and upset too. Stiles was her friend too and they had a special blooming bond. She knew it was Stiles' choice to go and that one of them had to do that job to save everyone else, but it still hurt. Toby said that her lashing out would happen and that it was normal. Her lashing out would also most likely be towards Walter and Paige. Walter as the team leader who despite all their wins and high IQ that was always praised, failed to come up with a way to save Stiles. And Paige for the whole incident that happened before the job.
"How is Jason?" Cabe asked. He wanted to visit and tried, but the Hales wouldn't let him see him.
"Sad. Very sad. He needs friends." Sylvester replied.
"I'm kinda surprised Hale's letting you guys see him," Cabe commented.
"Like he can stop us." Happy said.
Sylvester shrugged. "He tried at first but we made our case. Plus Jason snuck out of the Hale estate and made it all the way to my apartment. Derek's moved them into Stiles' home and we can visit him there."
"Stiles' home? Can he do that?" Cabe asked.
"The house is paid for and Stiles actually had it in Jason's name. So until he comes of age, Jason's guardian handles it." Sylvester answered.
"Jason's acting out in the Hale estate and feels calmer in the house." Happy added. She looked at her watch before telling Sylvester, "We gotta go."
Paige and Cabe watched them go before Paige turned to the older man and asked, "It might be slow around here for a bit. The team isn't ready for a new case."
"Agreed."
"What are you doing today?" Paige asked him.
"I've been called in by my bosses. But it's all just a bunch of paperwork for the aftermath of stuff like this. Chances are they're going to send someone to give Scorpion a psych eval so we have that to look forward to."
"A shrink evaluating all of them right now will guarantee that we don't get any government jobs for some time. They're snippy on a normal day. Right now, Happy will be biting our heads off for the days, weeks, or months to come. And Walter..."
"Yeah, I know. I'll press our case and explain as best as I can. But it's routine."
"You want me to let my family continue to think I'm dead?" Stiles demanded.
"There are certain things that only a dead man can do." His boss told him.
Stiles frowned. He was aware of missions like these, but he never thought he qualified. His years at the FBI weren't many, so he didn't think he grasped too much attention. And he supposed he didn't, not until joining Scorpion.
"I...I'm not sure I'm the best for the job sir."
"You are. You'll be gone a few months, and I know it's a lot that I'm asking you but it's for the security of this country."
"And you're sure I can't let them know?"
"You must remain a ghost. The element of surprise is our biggest advantage at the moment. "
Stiles knew he couldn't say no. There was a limit to their politeness and he knew if he kept with the undecidedness or even tried to turn it down, they'll use other tactics. If he really was the man for the job, then he's the man for the job.
"The moment they are allowed to know I'm alive, I want them to know," Stiles said.
"Of course."
"Right then. So...when do I leave?" Stiles asked.
"You'll be briefed on the plane. Wheels up in thirty."