It was shocking to see this girl acting as if none of the past 21 years had happened and then she asked the question that Olivia should have known was coming. "Where's daddy?"
Which made Olivia realized: how in the world was she going to tell Peter this?
But questions aside, Olivia let the happiness of the moment sink in. Surreal as this was, there was no doubt in her mind. She took in Etta's scent. It hadn't changed from that fateful day they were in the park. She was holding so many tears back as she tried to control herself.
"Daddy's at grandpa's lab, Etta." She gave the little girl a tight squeeze. "We're gonna go there soon, okay?"
When Etta saw Astrid, she was just as excited to her "aunt" and babysitter. Astrid was just weirded out by the whole thing, something Olivia couldn't blame her for.
"How is this possible?" Olivia asked Anil. "Where did you find her?"
"Some of my guys found her near one of the air-degradation fields. She was being chased by the Baldies. Dunno how she could even survive being in that area with the air so thin there."
"This place, did it used to be a park? Larz Anderson park?"
"Might have been the name. Not so sure. Why?"
Olivia shook her head. "That was the park we were in that day...when they came."
On the drive to the lab, Etta was getting excited about seeing her dad and grandpa. But when they had to park the car in a strange place she got scared. "Mommy, this isn't grandpa's lab."
"I know, Sweetheart," said Olivia. "This is a special way to the lab we have to take."
"It looks scary."
"I know. Just trust me." Olivia went down the shaft first and then Astrid handed Etta down to her. As they were traveling through the pipes, Olivia cover Etta's ears to drown out the hissing of the pipes.
"How do you think she got here?" asked Astrid.
"I don't think even Walter can figure that out."
"Well, at least Peter will be happy to see her."
But after learning what really happened when Peter was in Anil's lab, Olivia wasn't so sure.
...
Walter put a magnifier to the back of Peter's neck. "Peter...how could you..."
"I had to," Peter huffed. "We'll have a chance now."
"At what cost? You don't even know what this technology is capable of. How could you do this without considering the consequences?"
"It's fine, Walter alright? This is exactly what we needed to finally get ahead of them. To think like them, to move as fast as them. We might be able to win this war."
Walter suddenly felt a splitting headache. "Peter..."
"What is wrong, Walter? Why do you keep seeing me bald?"
"You...you knew I was thinking that?" The realization was starting to set in with Walter. "Peter, I think you just read my mind. It's already happening. You're turning into one of them."
"I'm not-"
Suddenly, Walter was pulled back by an invisible force and then fell to the floor. Peter could read the fear...both in himself and in Walter. He had no idea what he had just done.
Walter struggled to get himself back up. "You're abilities are worst than I feared. You still have human emotions. That will make it far difficult to control. But to do so...that could be what is needed for them to lose their humanity...if that is how the device truly works. Peter, please, can we not take it out before it's too late?"
"It might kill me, Walter. I mean, I wasn't all that gentle with the guy I took it out from. But I know it's not going to take a simple operation to remove this."
"Oh Peter..."
The door to the lab opened and Astrid came in. "How's Peter?"
"I'm afraid it's bad," said Walter.
"Well you might want to sit down for this."
Peter looked confused until Olivia opened the door. He almost didn't see the small child clinging to Olivia's leg.
'Wake up,' his mind was screaming. 'WAKE UP'.
But he realized by the look on Olivia's face that this wasn't a dream.
"Daddy!"
Little by little, Peter made his way toward the child. His mind was screaming denial about the whole situation but the little girl was happily coming closer to her.
"Etta?"
Something register within Peter to the point where it was overwhelming him. He could sense the happiness in the little girl as if nothing had changed...as if the Observers never came. But just was they were feet from meeting, Etta stopped. The look on her face instantly changed and Peter realized that she felt something that really upset her. And he knew it had something to do with him.
"What's wrong?" said Olivia. "Etta, what's wrong?"
She started backing away towards her mother. "That's not daddy."
"Etta..." Peter couldn't see past his own tears. "It's me."
"No. You're one of them!"
Peter moved closer. "Etta..."
"No!" Peter could see visions flashing in his mind. All of them Observers...chasing him down like a dog. But they weren't his thoughts. They were his daughter's. A sudden force was suddenly pulling Etta back and she landed back to the floor.
"Etta!" Olivia ran over to pick up her daughter who was now crying from the pain. Peter couldn't comprehend what he had just done. He had unintentionally gained control of his daughter's mind and she knew it too. The control had the same violent reaction that hurt Walter. Peter hurried over to his daughter but now she was screaming and scrambling for her mother's protection from this stranger.
"Go away! You're not my daddy!"
Peter felt his whole being collapsed at the sound of his daughter's words. Everything was a blur except for her cries and then the vision around Peter changed. The lab was disappearing quicker than he was capable of realizing it. And then he fell on gravel earth. He could feel the cold outdoor air and was greeted by the night sky above.
He quickly rolled off to one side having sensed that a car was approaching. After the car went on, Peter remained on the ground letting his tears mingle there. He didn't know where he was or how he got there. But that didn't matter much anymore. What mattered to him was that his daughter came back...but now it was too late. With the technology in him that he couldn't control, Peter wasn't a father in her eyes anymore. He was a monster.
Walter had been right about the consequences.
