Disclaimer: Don't own Automan. (Boy do I wish I did, though! ) Don't own Tron, either. (Any "Tron"-like elements are a part of my very overactive imagination. ) For rest of my disclaimer see chapter one.
A/N: Sorry for soooooo long an update. Just started a new job, and I'm still trying to acclimate to it! So without further interruption, on with the story...
Ch. 3--Close Call
Walter Nebicher walked into the LAPD main squad room heading for what had become for him a glass enclosed cage--the computer room. He went to his customary place by the computer console and booted up the computer. As he waited for the computer to finish booting up, he sat ruminating over his current situation at the precinct.
Ever since his close encounter with Tilson's hit man, the captain relegated him back to the computer room. He would much more prefer being out on the streets like his friend, Lt. Jack Curtis, or his friend/lover, Roxanne Caldwell, fighting crime. He had helped Jack solve some cases by processing information he would receive from Jack. Even Jack, who was at one time his most ardent supporter for him going out on the streets, seemed to almost be against Wally going out on the streets, especially with Tilson still on the loose.
Wally vividly remembered his encounter with Tilson's hit man. How he and Automan had been trapped in a conference room; how both had been injured; how Auto had managed to heal his own injury and fought to save both their lives; how he had eventually succumb to severe hypovolemic shock passing out; how he was in the hospital for three days.
One month had passed since then. His shoulder was healed, and he was going through physical therapy to regain near full use of his left shoulder and to strengthen his left arm. (Because of periodic, gentle electrical stimulation Automan had been applying to his shoulder, he was recovering near full use of his shoulder much faster.)
In some ways, Wally could understand their position. Once Tilson realized his hit man had failed, he would try to find another way to eliminate both him and Auto. If Wally were out on the streets, he would become an easier target for Tilson. He knew Jack, Roxanne, Auto, and even Captain Boyd would try to prevent that happening.
He heard a beep from the computer signaling it was ready. He sorted out the most recent information Jack had given him on a new case. He entered the information and initiated a search for any correlation between the data.
After a few minutes of running the search, Wally realized the part of the console he was sitting at seemed unusually warm. He went over to an adjacent monitor and quickly had the computer run a diagnostic of the hardware. While that diagnostic ran, he went back to check the search he had running earlier. The console under his hand seemed even warmer than just a few minutes ago. He thought it was only a short in the wiring somewhere. That would explain the warmth, although the console was hotter than even a simple short could explain. He went to the diagnostics scan he had initiated and checked the results. According to the report, the console was working fine. 'Hmm. I'll check it later,' thought Wally.
A sudden shaking as if an earthquake under his feet took place. The lights around him flashed and dimmed. Wally quickly glanced around the room to make sure all the Venetian blinds were shut before turning back to the monitor. A ball of light burst forth from the monitor circling Wally forcing him back from the console. "Cursor, what are you doing?" asked Wally a little annoyed at Cursor's constant attempt to force him away from the computer console. Wally saw a tall, shimmering silhouette of a man form near the door. As soon as Automan finished materializing, he quickly covered the distance between him and Walter. He grabbed Walter around the waist and effortlessly pulled Wally away from the computer console Walter was previously working on. A second later, that part of the console violently exploded spraying debris everywhere. Wally felt Auto shield his body with Auto's own protecting Wally from the flying debris.
Automan made sure to keep his electromagnetic body 'solid' so the flying debris would hit him instead of Walter. He gritted his teeth and squeezed his eyes shut holding Walter in a tight embrace--without suffocating or injuring him--as various shards from the exploding console imbedded deep within his body. He refused to allow himself to cry out at the pain and alert Walter to how much pain his desperate ploy had caused him knowing Walter might possibly do something foolish and get himself hurt. He wasn't going to allow that possibility to happen.
After a few seconds, the sparks died down. Automan straightened up letting Walter go. He phased his body letting the imbedded shards fall to floor and stepped away from the shards that had fallen to the floor without the shards causing him any further pain or harming Walter. He quickly went to a wall socket and stretched out his hand towards the socket. Electricity arched out of the socket into the palm of his hand instantly healing the 'wounds' created from the imbedded debris.
Wally got his first real good look at the part of the console he had been working on. Debris lay everywhere on the floor. Wires hung out and a fire was burning within the gutted hole. Wally quickly turned to Automan and said, "Thanks, Auto, but you better change. I'm sure Jack along with the rest of the squad room heard that explosion and will be heading in here shortly." Wally heard Auto command, "Cursor." Wally didn't wait for Auto's acknowledgement before going to a corner of the computer room grabbing the fire extinguisher off of the wall.
Walter concentrated on putting out the fire before it spread to the rest of the computer. Out of the corner of his eye, Wally saw Auto disguised in a light gray shirt and a dark gray business suit and tie also aiming a fire extinguisher at the damaged section of the computer console. Wally hazarded a glance to the other corner where the other fire extinguisher had been sitting. It wasn't there now explaining where Auto had got the second fire extinguisher.
A couple of seconds later, a graying black-haired man, a blond woman, and a balding, graying black-haired man all headed into the computer room. They all stopped short in the computer room doorway surveying the damage. The balding, graying black-haired man was the first to speak, "Agent Mann, I didn't see you come in."
"Lucky for me, he did, Captain," replied Walter. Seeing that the fire was almost out, he and Auto tapered off their combined streams from their fire extinguishers. Seconds later, the fire was finally extinguished. Walter and Auto stopped dousing the console altogether and returned the fire extinguishers to their proper places.
The graying black-haired man, Lt. Jack Curtis, asked, "Are you both okay?"
"We're fine. Unfortunately, I can't say the same thing for the computer," replied Wally. "We were able to keep the fire from spreading to any other sections of the computer. It's going to take me some time to investigate the rewiring job done to this part of the console to see who might have possibly had the expertise to booby trap the console without the computer sensing the malfunction."
"Could Tilson have been behind the rewiring?" asked Jack.
"It is a possibility," replied Auto. Feeling inexplicably weak, he sat down in the chair undamaged by the explosion.
"But how could he have possibly gotten into the LAPD without someone noticing him?" asked the blond woman, Roxanne Caldwell.
"Lieutenant, I want you to find out how someone might have possibly snuck into the LAPD unnoticed," ordered the captain to Jack.
"Yes, sir," replied Jack. He headed out of the computer lab.
"Another close call," said Captain Boyd in frustration. "Are you two sure you're okay?"
"Yes, Captain," replied both Wally and Auto simultaneously.
Captain Boyd scrutinized both Nebicher and Agent Mann for any apparent injuries. When he didn't spot any, he accepted their answer and left the room himself.
Walter and Roxanne noticed Automan's weak appearance. Truth be told, Walter had noticed Auto's weak look before Jack and Captain Boyd had left the room. He just hadn't said anything. Now, since both Jack and Captain Boyd had left the room, Wally turned to Auto. He asked the one question on both his and Roxanne's minds. "Auto, are you all right?"
"I don't know, Walter. I feel very weak all of the sudden. I'm going to have to be leaving you," replied Auto.
"Okay. I can handle the investigation from here. See you, Auto," said Wally. Roxanne silently nodded her thanks for saving Wally and her farewell.
Auto faded until he had totally disappeared.
Roxanne turned to Wally confused and a bit apprehensive. "What was that all about, love?" she asked referring to Automan's suddenly weakened condition.
"I'm not sure," replied Wally, uneasily. He was worried himself about what would cause Auto to become so weak so fast. "I'll look over his program at home when I get off of work. For right now, I have to check the damage and tampering done to the console. This was done by a professional." He approached the burned out console inspecting the destruction. As he carefully pried away the loose components, he noticed the devastation underneath wincing as he uncovered even more ruined instrumentation ravaged by the fire.
Seeing how Wally would be busy for the rest of his shift inspecting the burned out part of the console, Roxanne left the computer room. She was glad Wally and Automan were all right, but the captain was right. This was another close call. She had nearly lost Wally twice now. How many more "close calls" were they going to have before Tilson was brought to justice? She didn't even want to contemplate an answer to that question.
A/N: Again, sorry for the incredibly late update. I'll try to get the next chapter up even sooner. Thank you for your patience. Keep those reviews coming:)
