A/N: Hey all. Onward to part three! This chapter picks up about three months after the end of chapter 11.
A couple of notes regarding universities: First, an apology to any Berkeley alumni among my awesome readers. I didn't realize until I was writing this chapter that I misspelled Berkeley way back in chapter 3. I promise it is spelled correctly in this and coming chapters.
Second, regarding Caltech: I've already mentioned that Ralph is transferring back there and Ada attends there. A fair amount of part three takes place there, but because I've never actually been there and I took a lot of liberties regarding the campus and the faculty, I avoid referring to the school by name anywhere in part three. In all instances, it is simply referred to as the school/college/university/etc., and you all can think of the setting as a fictional university with the fictional locations and people referred to.
Anyway, enjoy!
Disclaimer: CBS owns Scorpion.
Chapter 12: Orientation
"Are you sure about this, Ralph?" Paige asked.
"It's a little bit late to be asking that now, Mom. Never mind that it's the seventh time you've asked. Yes, I'm sure."
"Okay." Paige turned and looked up at the dormitory building behind her.
"He'll be fine," said Drew, who was towing the heavier of Ralph's two suitcases.
"I concur," said Walter, who was towing the lighter suitcase. "He's not just a genius, he's also your son."
"Thanks, Walter," said Drew.
"I… I was talking to Paige."
Drew chuckled. "I know."
"I've already technically been a college student for a while now, but I haven't gotten to feel like a real college student yet. Living in a college dormitory will be a key experience in my social development."
"That's one way to put it," said Toby. Maria was scampering around at his feet, examining whatever she could find on the ground.
"Come on," said Drew. "Let's not just stand out here holding these suitcases for the entire semester."
"Um, I'm not sure you're all going to fit in the dorm," said Ralph, turning to the team.
"I will take Maria over to the quad," Toby immediately volunteered. "I have no particular need to revisit the experience of the college dormitory."
"And I will go with you," Happy added just as quickly, picking Maria up.
"And I will…" Sylvester began. "Well, I just really don't want to go in there. College dormitories are just…" He gestured his disgust.
Ralph sighed and looked at Walter. "I'm coming," Walter assured him.
"Me too," said Cabe. "It's been a long time since I've been in one of these things."
"Maybe you'll see some grandparents that you went to college with," said Toby. Cabe sighed and shook his head.
"Alright," said Ralph, looking at the building. He took a second to brace himself. "Let's go."
They entered the building, and saw a long line for use of the elevator. "Oh. Right," said Drew. "Stairs?"
"Really?" asked Walter. "To the fourth floor?" He frowned down at the suitcase he was towing.
"Come on, Walter, a little exercise never hurt anyone."
"That's objectively false."
They went to the bottom of the stairs. Drew lifted the suitcase he was towing up over his shoulder and started climbing. Ralph turned to Walter. "I'll help you." They each took one side of the suitcase and lifted, slowly carrying it upwards.
By the time they reached the third floor, Walter was panting. "You know, I'm sure Happy could increase the speed of that elevator by at least 60%. That would make move-in day much more efficient for everyone."
"I'll be sure to broach the idea to the school," Ralph replied.
Finally, they reached the fourth floor, and set down the suitcase. Walter let the arm that had been carrying more of the weight dangle for a moment, while Ralph put his hands on his knees.
"Ah, welcome." An older boy carrying a clipboard quickly approached them. "And who might you be?"
"Ralph Dineen."
The boy searched the sheet on his clipboard. "Dineen, Dineen… Ah. Far end of the hallway on the left." The boy turned to Walter. "And you must be Mr. Dineen."
"Uh, no," said Drew, who was standing against the wall behind the boy. "I'm M… I'm the father." He held out his hand. "Drew Baker."
"Pleased to meet you, Mr. Baker." The boy shook his hand, then turned to Paige. "And that would make you…" He clearly didn't want to make any more assumptions regarding the last names in the family.
"Paige Dineen, Ralph's mother." They shook hands.
"Very pleased to meet you. And…" The boy turned to Cabe, and paused. "James Bond?"
"Cabe Gallo."
"Okay." The boy quickly turned back to Ralph. "I'm Warren, and I'll be your RA. Feel free to come to me if you need anything at all. Can I help you with your suitcase?"
"Yes, please."
"Certainly." Warren took the suitcase and led them down the hall to Ralph's room. "As I'm sure you know, there is no smoking on this floor, nor on any other floor in this building. As a matter of fact, this is a substance-free floor, so there are no intoxicating substances of any kind permitted here." He gave a sigh. "Well, we'll see how long that lasts this year."
"How long the rule lasts, or how long it's followed for?" Drew asked.
"The second one."
"My guess would be around three hours."
"I like your optimism."
They reached the room, and Ralph peered inside. "It appears I already have a roommate." More than half of the space in the small room was already covered by belongings.
"Yes, your roommate has already arrived. I believe he went looking for the fitness center."
Ralph entered the room and sat on the mattress that was still bare. The bedsprings whined beneath him.
"Thank you very much for your help," said Paige.
"You're very welcome. Again, please let me know if you need anything." Warren walked off down the hall.
"Man, this brings back memories," said Drew, smiling wistfully as he entered the room and looked around. He turned to Paige. "Remember?"
"Oh, believe me, I remember." Her expression suggested the memories were considerably less pleasant for her than they were for him, which of course stood to reason.
"Mom, Dad, right now I need you to not remind me of the fact that I was conceived in a room like this one," said Ralph. Quickly getting off the bed, he knelt down and opened one of his suitcases.
Slowly, Ralph's half of the room came together. Walter helped set up all of the hardware on his tiny desk, hoping that a roommate who immediately went looking for the fitness center wouldn't accidentally damage anything.
Said roommate appeared shortly before he was finished. "Oh, hey, the roomie's here." He was built like a runner, tall and skinny with powerful legs. Entering the room, he reached out towards Ralph. "I'm Billy."
"I'm Ralph. Pleased to meet you." Ralph's hand practically disappeared inside Billy's as they shook.
"Awesome stuff," said Billy, glancing at the equipment that Walter was setting up. "Hey, let me know if you want to work out together in the mornings. I always enjoy working out with other people."
"Um, I will let you know."
"Awesome. Well, I'll get out of the way and let you finish setting up your digs." He paused, noticing Cabe for the first time. "Whoa, your grandfather looks like James Bond. That's cool."
Ralph and Cabe exchanged a glance.
"Well, anyway, see you later, man." Billy turned and left the room, slapping the top of the doorframe as he went.
"Well…" said Paige, "he seems nice."
"Yeah."
"And, regular workout sessions could be useful."
"Not if I'm in a coma by the time he's a third of the way through his routine. If I'm going to work out, it should be on my own."
"You're probably right. But hey, I'm sure you'll find some common ground."
"There's always a common ground for men in college," said Drew, who was leaning against Ralph's newly-made bed. "Women."
Paige lifted an empty plastic bag that she had balled up and threw it at him. "Or classes."
There was a knock on the doorframe, and everyone turned to look again. A balding man in an aged, brown suit was standing there. "Um, excuse me." He looked at everyone in the room in turn, until his eyes found Walter. "It's Mr. O'Brien, correct?"
"Yes."
"Oh, excellent. I had heard you were here. I'm Charles Wilkes, and I'm in charge of orientation. Unfortunately, our speaker for tomorrow night had to cancel. Mr. O'Brien, the university would be most appreciative if you would be able to take her place."
Walter frowned. "You want me to… give a speech?"
"Yes. I think it would be excellent for the students to hear from someone as brilliant as you are, to say nothing of your accomplishments over the past few years."
This man wasn't even aware of most of those accomplishments, unless he had a security clearance.
Paige looked at Walter. "I think that would be a great idea."
He returned her look with one that was considerably more reluctant. But… "Alright, I'll do it."
"Excellent. Thank you very, very much. If you could please arrive here by five PM tomorrow. You will be introduced promptly at six."
The man vanished from the doorway, and Walter looked at Paige again. "Really?"
"Hey, you agreed to it."
"I can't wait to see this," said Cabe.
"I can," said Ralph.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"That it won't be long before everyone knows I work with you. I don't need to be a celebrity here."
"If you would prefer, I won't mention you," said Walter.
"I would prefer that. But people will find out anyway."
"That might not be a bad thing," said Paige. "There's nothing wrong with people liking you."
"Especially women," said Drew, and Paige went looking for her plastic bag again.
It was Ralph who found the bag and threw it at his father this time. "Will you be coming to the speech?"
"Actually, I have a date tomorrow night."
"Really?" Paige raised her eyebrows. "You've been in Los Angeles for barely two weeks."
He shrugged. "It's a new app I'm trying. Who knows how it will go?"
Paige rolled her eyes. Walter was pleased that she didn't look more displeased.
"I'm sorry I'll miss it, Walter. I'm sure you'll do well."
"Thanks, Drew. Good luck with your date."
"So, it seems that a lot of random computer glitches are occurring today, all over California," said Sylvester, frowning at the online traffic he was seeing on his computer. "They're all routine glitches, but… it's a weird coincidence."
"That's true. It might be worth monitoring, but…" Walter's focus was certainly not on that right now.
"Right. I'll do the monitoring, you focus on writing your speech."
"Yeah, how's that coming along, Walt?" Toby asked.
"Well, I've printed out a collection of the most famous speeches in history. I'm checking for patterns among them to see what people have responded most positively to, so that I can—"
"No, no, no, you're not doing it that way." Paige stood and walked over to his desk. Grabbing the pile of paper in front of him, she tossed it all in the recycling bin. "You are going to write something that is truly from you, Walter. Something that comes from your heart."
"Um…"
"Good luck with that," said Happy.
"Happy, a little encouragement goes a long way."
"I'm sure you'll do great, Walt."
Paige turned back to Walter. "You are perfectly capable of doing it. I will help you if you need it."
"I… I do need it."
"Should we give you some time alone?" Toby asked. Paige gave him her look, and he fell silent, facing his computer again.
"Let no one ever tell you that you are incorrect in becoming who you desire to be." Walter looked around the audience again, the way Paige had advised him to do. He wasn't sure that was the best idea for focus, considering he had already spotted no fewer than three robots in the audience. "Aim directly towards whatever that desire is, whatever you believe will truly make you the best person you can be. And whatever you believe will make you the most capable of helping others.
"Because, above all, never stop trying to help others. Helping others is often thankless and often difficult, but just imagine a world where everyone helped each other, however they could. That seems to me like a much happier, more sustainable world.
"I made my career helping others, and that was how I discovered where I was meant to be, and how to become the person that I desired to become. Because, through helping others, I learned how to understand them. Through understanding them, I learned how to socialize among them. And through that…" His gaze fell to Paige. He couldn't help it. "…I learned how to be truly happy."
He fell silent as their eyes met, momentarily losing track of his speech. "And that is my wish for all of you. You're going to learn many important things in your classes at this great university. But also pay attention to the lessons that you are going to learn outside of your classes, among your peers. You will find that it is some combination of both of those that will guide you towards your goals and desires, and towards happiness. Thank you."
The applause erupted, and a scattering of students across the auditorium immediately stood. Others followed, and soon, almost everyone was standing. Walter felt giddy.
Dean Wilkes joined him at the podium, and shook his hand. "Excellent speech, Mr. O'Brien."
Walter thanked him and stepped away, allowing him to retake the podium and conclude the event.
Afterwards, he stepped off the stage and joined the others. "Very well done, O'Brien," said Toby.
"Yeah, Walter, that was really good," said Sylvester.
"Thanks." His eyes found Paige again. "Thank you for your help."
"You're welcome."
"Walter!" Ralph came trotting over. "That was a really good speech!"
Paige raised an eyebrow at her son. "I thought you didn't want to be seen with us here."
"Yeah, but, after that, I had to come over and say he did an awesome job. And, you wrote a lot of that, didn't you? Parts of it sounded more like you than like him."
"I helped. But every word was written down by him."
"Hi, Walter." Walter looked up as Zoe approached.
"Zoe? Um, you don't go here."
"Yeah, I leave for Berkeley tomorrow. But when I heard you'd be speaking, I had to see it for myself. My dad also wanted to come, but he couldn't. You did really well."
"Thank you."
She looked at Ralph. "Could you give me a tour of the campus?"
His eyes widened. "Um, I don't know it that well yet, but I'll do my best."
She smiled, and he didn't seem able to move until Paige gently nudged him. He quickly turned back to the others. "See you later." Then he quickly walked off, leading Zoe out of the auditorium.
"I think maybe Ralph hasn't learned his lesson yet about older women," said Toby.
"Hey, she initiated it," said Happy.
"Guys, please stop there," said Paige.
"Walter O'Brien," said a mechanical-sounding voice. Walter turned in surprise as one of the robots he had seen in the audience approached him. "That was a very good speech."
"Um, thank you. You… You enjoyed it?" It was a ridiculous question. Logically, robots weren't capable of enjoying speeches.
"I most certainly did."
Walter wasn't sure whether to be pleased or nervous about that. That programming couldn't be correct.
Then the sound of laugher emerged from the robot. "Oh, shake hands with Ariel, you wackadoodle." The robot extended a jointed arm with two phalanges on the end.
Happy's eyes widened. "Ada?"
"Hi, Happy."
Walter gently shook Ariel's arm as Happy approached and closely examined the ro… remote interface. "Well done. This really is a work of genius."
"Thank you," said a woman who approached behind Ariel. "You must be Sprocketace77." She was Latin-American, with a very slight accent.
"And you must be Cecilia," said Toby.
The woman gave Ariel a sideways glance. "They know of me?"
"Yes." The reply was very faint, suggesting that Ada had said it so quietly that her microphone had barely picked it up.
Cecilia gave a small smile.
"My real name is Happy Quinn. Very pleased to meet you." They shook hands. "You put Ariel together?"
"Much of her, though there was ample help. And I always had a beautiful voice in my ear."
The line sent Walter back several years, to when he himself had said something similar about Paige.
"Very impressive," said Happy.
"Thank you." Cecilia turned to Walter. "So was your speech, Mr. O'Brien. Based on what Ada told me about you, I did not expect it."
"Well, I also had help." He briefly glanced at Paige.
"How about a celebratory dinner?" asked Toby.
"You two are invited, of course," said Happy.
"It has to be somewhere on campus," said Cecilia. "Even with the signal booster, she can only go so far from it, and there aren't really any good places in range."
"Well, campus food it is, then," said Toby. "Show us to your favorite spot."
Cecilia gestured towards an exit at the front of the auditorium, and started leading them.
"Isn't it faster to get outside via the back?" Walter asked.
"Yes, but I can't do stairs," said Ada. "At least not yet."
"Oh, right."
They exited the auditorium and approached an elevator, and she adeptly aimed one of Ariel's arms to push the button.
"When we get to wherever we're going, we should let Ralph know where to meet us," said Paige.
"Ralph and Zoe, you mean," said Toby. Paige gave him a glance.
The elevator arrived, but it was too small for all of them to fit in. "You guys go ahead," said Cabe, who remained outside with Sylvester. "We'll take the stairs and meet you above.
"You got it," said Ada, using Ariel to press the button for the main floor. The doors closed, and the elevator began climbing. Then it stopped.
"Great," said Toby. "I think you're up, my dear."
"On it," Happy replied.
Just as she was about to open the panel, however, a machine-changed voice sounded. "Walter O'Brien."
"Hello?" Walter asked. He looked around, but there didn't seem to be any microphone for him to reply through.
"You may call me the Green Phantom."
"Seriously?" asked Toby. "Someone's been reading too many comic books."
The lights in the elevator flickered. "I heard that, Mr. Quinn-Curtis."
"How?" Walter asked. The only microphones in the elevator were… those that served as Ariel's ears. "Oh."
"I promise, I will not harm the bubble-girl's machine, or her connection to it."
"I appreciate that," Ada replied quietly. "Less so the nickname."
"Meet me on the deck of the four PM Sausalito Ferry in two days."
"Really? It couldn't be anything more local?" Toby asked.
"No." Then the elevator started moving again.
"You still there?" Toby asked. There was no response. The elevator arrived at the main floor.
"Ada, were there any noticeable signs of your connection being hacked?" Walter asked as they exited the elevator.
"No."
And there was no way to personally check her computer to confirm that, since it was in the bubble. "I guess we're heading to San Francisco, then."
"Say what?" Cabe and Sylvester approached them. "What the hell took you so long?"
"The elevator was hacked," said Happy. "By some creep who calls himself the Green Phantom."
"Really?" Cabe made a face. "Gotta love the digital age. We spend as much time going up against deranged super-nerds as we do against guys with guns and bombs."
"So why San Francisco?" Sylvester asked.
"He asked that we meet him on the Sausalito ferry."
Now Sylvester made a face. "Great, another boat. Those always go so well."
"What are the odds he's going to show up in a mask and cape?" Cabe asked.
"Not all that low," said Toby. "I can't wait to analyze this guy."
Paige pulled out her phone. "I guess I'm booking us a flight."
"I can't go," said Happy.
"What?" asked Toby. She gave him a look, and he slapped his hand over his face. "Oh, crap, your father."
"Oh, right, Patrick's parole is starting," said Cabe.
Happy smiled at the words. "Finally. I can't wait for him to meet Maria." She had refused to take Maria to the prison.
Toby looked torn. "I guess… um… I guess I should also stay."
"No, you go. They're going to need you for this one."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, Doc. Go." She turned to Cecilia. "So, where's this favorite spot of yours?"
Cecilia and Ariel exchanged a glance, although the knowing smile only covered Cecilia's face. "Follow me."
She led them out of the building and to the farthest corner of campus, where they entered an older building. Skillfully navigating a maze of hallways, she stopped at a large, red freight elevator, pressing the down button. This time, they could all fit in the elevator, and there were no incidents. When the doors opened again, they found themselves in a large, dark room.
"A bit out of the way for a dining hall," said Cabe.
"This is no dining hall," said Cecilia. "Welcome to the garage."
"The what?" Walter stared at her as she flipped a light switch, illuminating the room. They were, indeed, in a large garage. A few vehicles were parked inside, their hoods up and their engines in various states of repair. On the far side of the room was a large refrigerator, and a microwave sat on one of the three tables scattered around it.
"The garage," said Cecilia, gesturing around her. "Back when this was the biochem building, supplies were brought in through here. Now, they let us bring whatever we want in here."
"Basically, it's the perfect hangout for a bunch of dorky engineers," said Ada.
"I fully concur," said Happy. She trotted over to the nearest vehicle and peered at the engine. "Did you make all these modifications?"
"The group did, yeah."
Happy ran over to the next vehicle.
"I think you've created Happy heaven," Toby muttered. Ada laughed.
"I thought we were going to your favorite dinner spot," said Cabe.
Cecilia smiled. "Oh, just wait for it." She started crossing the garage, and the others followed.
"Whose is the punching bag?" Toby asked as they passed a punching bag that had been chained to the high ceiling.
"That was Jake's. He graduated last year, but we left it up in his honor." Cecilia trotted the rest of the way to the refrigerator and opened it.
"Are we doing leftovers for a celebratory dinner?" Cabe asked, frowning.
"Nope." Cecilia pulled out a large bowl full of something yellow. "Authentic Peruvian food, made by my abuela. I guarantee you it's better than anything they sell on this campus."
"Um, okay," Cabe replied skeptically.
Cecilia opened a cupboard on the far side of the refrigerator and started pulling out plates and forks. Toby and Sylvester went to help.
"I should text Ralph," said Paige. "He's never going to be able to find this place."
"Tell him to go around to the back of the building," said Ada. "We'll open one of the freight doors for him."
Once Walter had a plate of the yellow stuff and a fork, he sat down at one of the tables and tried some, then almost choked. "That's… um… spicy. Very spicy."
Cecilia quirked an eyebrow. "Can't handle it?"
"I… um… I prefer fish."
Cecilia opened the refrigerator again and pulled out a bottle of water, tossing it to him. He failed to catch it.
"I need some water, too, please," said Cabe.
"Me, too," said Paige.
"Okay, maybe this was not a great plan," Cecilia conceded, pulling out several bottles of water and giving them to everyone.
Walter took a large sip of water and let his mouth soak in it, trying to get the water to absorb the heat, but water was not optimal for that.
More laughter came from Ariel, who was standing off to the side and watching them.
Paige's phone buzzed, and she looked at it. "Ralph is here."
"I'll let him in," said Ada. Ariel turned and made for the nearest freight door.
"Um, hello?" They could all hear Ralph's confusion when Ariel opened the door.
"Hello, Ralph," Ada replied. "Who's your friend?"
"Oh, he brought his date along," said Toby, earning himself another look from Paige.
Ariel reappeared with Ralph and Zoe in tow. "Whoa," said Ralph, looking around. Just as Happy had, he walked over to the nearest vehicle and peered at the engine. "I think I'm going to like college after all."
"This place is pretty cool," said Zoe. She walked over to the punching bag and looked at it for a moment. Then, abruptly, she unleashed a barrage of punches and kicks in a fast and well-practiced routine.
"Not bad," said Cabe as everyone stared at her.
Turning back towards them, Zoe walked over to Cecilia. "Hi, I'm Zoe."
They shook hands. "Cecilia. Pleased to meet you."
"And I'm Ralph." Ralph also approached and shook her hand.
"How old are you?"
"'Fifteen."
"He's really smart," Zoe explained.
"I see. Have you ever put together a car engine?"
"I've put together a rocket engine."
Cecilia smiled, and glanced at Ariel. "You're going to fit right in here."
Walter looked over at Paige, expecting her to look happy. She… didn't.
Zoe walked over to Walter and peered at his plate. "So, is this how geniuses celebrate an awesome speech? What is this, anyway?"
"It's all yours, if you want it." Walter passed the plate to her.
Zoe tried some. "Not bad. A little on the spicy side."
"There we go," said Cecilia. "See, us girls understand what food is supposed to taste like. You and I are going to be friends."
"She doesn't go here," said Toby. "Sorry to burst the—"
"Don't finish that saying," said Ada.
Toby quickly shut his mouth.
"Where do you go?" Cecilia asked.
"Berkeley. I'm heading up there tomorrow."
"Oh. So just about everyone is heading to the bay area tomorrow."
"Huh?" Zoe looked at the others in confusion.
"The elevator we were in earlier was hacked by some creep who calls himself the Green Phantom," Cecilia explained. "He wants Walter to meet him on the ferry up there."
"Really?" Zoe turned to Walter. "Count me in."
"What?"
"Those ferries are always crowded. You could use an extra pair of eyes. And I'm heading up there tomorrow anyway." Zoe started to turn back to the food, then looked up again. "Oh, and I won't take no for an answer."
"We are definitely going to be friends," said Cecilia.
"And the rest of us can listen in and help out via the comms," said Ada.
"Comms?" Cecilia looked at Ariel. "That sounds like a great idea."
The members of Team Scorpion exchanged glances.
"Basically," said Ralph, "you're going to need more comms."
