Ralph was standing a few feet from Cabe's SUV where Happy had left the laptop. He saw a small red dot on the laptop flashing and stepped up to it and clicked on it.
"Trojan uploaded and the system is ready. Deploy?" The screen read. Ralph grinned as he moved the cursor over and clicked to deploy.
"Toby, you're the shrink, was Collins being truthful about the gas?" Cabe asked.
"I'm out here ain't I?" Toby snarked.
"Fungus, cut it out." Happy snapped.
Toby nodded as he sighed.
"So how do we help get Walter out of there? Can we break a window?" Paige asked.
"No, we were below ground in a sub basement level when Walter was trapped." Cabe told her.
"That's right, he's beyond your reach, but not mine. There is just enough gas to kill everything down to this level. You guys just stay out there and if Walter picks up the pace he'll be able to join you in ten minutes. If not, well, one less IQ over mine." Collins laughed over the PA system.
"Damn it, he can still hear us." Happy swore.
"Aww, poor little grease monkey. I bet you wish you had a motorcycle to work on to distract your poor thoughts." Collins laughed.
"Leave her alone Collins, it's me you have a grudge against, remember?" Walter's voice came over the radios as he felt a surge of protectiveness.
"True, well and her husband. But you are about three and a half minutes too slow to escape so you won't be around much longer." Collins laughed.
"Walter!" Paige cried out.
"He's bluffing Paige, if something really happened to me, he'd lose a lot of joy." Walter replied to her while trying to remain calm at that thought.
"Ah, but see, her being in misery for the rest of her life at her loss over you would be a wonderful balm for me." Collins poked at him.
Walter kept his mouth shut at that.
"Collins has gotten into Walter's fear." Toby whispered to Happy as he picked up different stress markers.
"Do you think Collins knows that?" Happy whispered back.
"He's not backing down, so either he has or he is still trying to crack him. I'm just worried about where he is mentally right now, Walter just might. And if he panics in there. This won't end well." Toby whispered back.
Happy sighed.
Collins looked back at the camera feed and watched as Walter looked at the next door he came to. Walter stepped up and examined the casing.
"I wouldn't mess with that door if I were you Walter. You might not appreciate the bang you will get out of it." Collins laughed.
"Why would you booby trap a door that could hurt someone and draw attention to your hideout?" Walter asked as his hand closed around the knob of the door.
"It is your funeral if you do." Collins told him, trying to sound disinterested.
"Walter!" Paige yelled and then everyone jumped as they heard an explosion from inside of the building.
"Walter!" Paige cried out as she recovered.
They all stood there staring at each other as all they heard was static from the radios.
"Oh gawd." Paige whimpered.
"Dad?" Ralph said softly as Paige wrapped her arms around him. Cabe had tears in his eyes as he stepped up to them and wrapped his arms around them both.
"What a shame and a waste. He should have just listened to me and picked up the pace. Oh well, I've got to go, you all have a wonderful life." Collins said over the PA before all grew quiet.
"No!" Happy swore and took off running for the door of the library. Agent Stevens was running right after her.
His arm reached out and his fingers just touched her jacket but it was just enough that he formed a fist trapping her jacket in it. He yanked back as he stopped running and Happy's feet flipped out from under her and she landed on her back.
Happy reacted instantly as Dan was bent over her. Her hand flashed out before he could speak and caught Dan in the throat forcing him to let go of her jacket. He half stood up and took several steps back as he choked and coughed. Happy jumped up and tried to take off but both of her arms were seized by other agents. They struggled against each other as Toby ran up and tried talking to her to try and calm her down.
Collins grabbed his go bag and stuffed a couple of things into it after he executed a kill command on his computers.
"Oh Walter, while I truly didn't want you to die, you can't say I didn't warn you." Collins sighed. "If you had just listened to me. We could have done so much for humanity. Far more than your precious Cyclone ever could."
Collins stopped as something flashed in his mind. He moved back over to the computer and tried to abort the kill command but it was too late as smoke rolled out of the tower it was built in.
"Damn it." Collins swore as he grabbed up the microphone to the PA. "You think you tricked me into thinking you died didn't you Walter? But, I just realized the blast I saw took out the camera first. You saw where the charge was and gambled on me concentrating on the dweeb squad and moved it." Collins said. Silence reigned for several seconds as Paige and the others rallied at the thought that Walter was safe. "Didn't you!?" Collins screamed into the microphone.
"Damn it!" Collins flung the microphone. Without his computers he couldn't access the cameras he had installed. So he had no idea if Walter was dead for sure or if he was making his way towards him at that moment.
Collins grabbed up his go bag. Regardless he had just over a minute to get to the escape tunnel before the neurotoxin reached that level. Collins moved quickly to the door and as he rushed out he was smacked in the head with a two by four and fell to the ground unconscious.
Walter threw the piece of wood to the floor.
"I should leave you here to die, Mark. But I owe you for whatever I did to you." Walter told him as he quickly tied Mark's hands and feet together using an electrical cord. He pulled him out into the hallway and then turned him so he could grab him by his jacket and began dragging him. He was right by the door that went down into the tunnel that was part of the underground network when he sniffed something fruity.
Walter's eyes went wide as panic set in. He turned and opened the door and just before running through he reached down and grabbed Mark and pulled him through before closing the door.
"Tabun exposure. I need atropine, immediately." Walter called over the walkie talkie he had from the campus guard. "In the underground tunnels." Walter choked out before he collapsed.
Walter saw he was with Megan, they were in the field along the lake not far from their family farm. He sat up and looked about. This was definitely Callan, Ireland.
"Hey sleepy head. I wondered how much longer you were going to sleep." Sixteen year old Megan said as she smiled at him.
"Megan? Is that really you?" Walter asked.
"Who else would it be?" Megan asked with a bigger grin.
"So, I'm dead?" Walter asked sadly.
"What makes you say that?" Megan frowned.
"P…, S…, they told me that you…that you died." Walter explained while struggling to remember their names.
"Well Paige and Sylvester didn't lie. But what makes you think you are dead?" Megan asked as she poured a glass of lemonade for him.
Walter frowned but took the glass and sipped it. Walter smiled as it tasted just like he remembered.
"Of course it does, silly, you are in your head. If it tasted like something else, that would mean something is really wrong with you." Megan laughed.
"I don't understand…How did you know what I was thinking and the, the…gas, I should have died?" Walter frowned as he was trying to think. "I can't remember everything." Walter said.
"Yeah, you've got some issues going on in your noggin." Megan told him.
"So, did they get to me in time then?" Walter frowned.
Megan laughed.
"Wouldn't that be something if they didn't? How could you be having this conversation if they didn't?" Megan grinned. Megan nodded and held up her hand stopping Walter from speaking.
"Okay, yes, they got to you in time. It was close though." Megan told him.
"Mark?" Walter asked.
"No clue, you've only heard the words people have spoken around you. None of them have mentioned him." Megan explained.
"My memories?" Walter asked.
"Well, falling down those steps didn't do you any favors. That's not true, it kept the gas from killing you. But you'll probably regain your memories as time goes by, at least according to the doctors that visit you from time to time." Megan told him.
"I need to wake up then." Walter said as he sat the glass down.
"Okay, if you want to. But do me one favor after you do. Kiss my nephew for me." Megan smiled.
"What?" Walter asked as everything before his eyes blurred.
"Ooh, my head." Walter said softly.
"Walter!" Paige's head came up from his shoulder. "Walter, baby, talk to me please."
"P-p, Paige?" Walter said as he slowly opened his eyes.
"Dad!" Ralph said as he jumped up and threw his arms around his parents.
"Oh thank God." Paige said as she kissed him.
"R-Ralph? What happened to me? I thought the cast was removed?" Walter asked even as he grimaced from pain.
"You fell flat on your face. You also ruptured thirteen external stitches and eight internal sutures. So they put you back into a cast." Toby explained.
Walter frowned as he looked at him.
"D-d, do I know you?" Walter asked.
"Are you kidding me? Are we back to amnesia again?" Happy asked.
"I have amnesia?" Walter asked as he looked at Paige. "Paige, I can't remember, do I have amnesia?"
"Well, I-I don't know Walter, I'm not a doctor. You seem to remember me and Ralph, right?" Paige told him as she looked at Toby puzzled.
Walter nodded slowly.
"Mark?" Walter asked.
"Oh great, you don't remember us, but you remember that sleaze bucket." Toby threw his hands up in the air.
"I guess because I feel like I owe him something." Walter frowned.
"H-he didn't make it Walter. The coroner said it was his age and weight. Plus that landing where he laid, he got a bigger dose of the gas. It worked against him in dealing with the toxin he released." Paige told him.
"Oh." Walter sighed. "I'm sorry Mark." Walter said weakly.
"Why are you wasting feelings on that scum?" Happy went off on and demanded of Walter.
"Who are you? Why are you so angry and why do you care what I do?" Walter demanded of her.
"Unbelievable." Happy swore.
"Happy is your oldest friend Walter." Paige told him gently.
Walter closed his eyes as he struggled to think.
"She's a mechanical engineer?" Walter finally asked as he looked at Paige.
Paige nodded with a smile.
Walter looked to Happy for a moment.
"I do feel like we go back a ways, but if you are going to be so unpleasant, maybe you should just stay away." Walter finally told her.
Walter looked at Toby and his eyes narrowed.
"You threatened me. Threatened to undermine my authority if I didn't bow to your will." Walter said.
Toby grinned.
"Well I'm not sure that is true." Toby acted like he was embarrassed.
"You can get out and never come back." Walter told him.
"Walter?" Paige asked.
Walter looked at Ralph and smiled as he reached over with his free hand and squeezed his hand.
"Hey Happy." Walter said before they got out the door.
"Yeah?" Happy said surly.
"Do you remember the time we were so broke we couldn't afford a phone?" Walter asked with a smile.
Happy grinned.
"That old circa 1991 Southern Bell pay phone. I rigged it for free phone calls because you'd just bought the Garage and we didn't have any more money." Happy nodded as she began walking back over towards him.
"That was a hell of a time in our lives. Just you and me. Before I made the mistake of Mark." Walter told her now seeing Sylvester sitting not far away.
Happy nodded as she reached out and clasped his left hand in the new cast.
"You were a really good friend to me back then. Thank you." Walter told her.
"Are you saying goodbye to me Walt?" Happy asked sadly.
Walter choked up and coughed as he tried clearing his throat.
"Happy, I hope you know all I ever wanted for and from you, is for you to be in a safe place that allows for you to grow, mature in EQ, help people and more importantly, be happy. I'm not sure what happened between us. As you grew, especially towards Toby, it seems like you grew away from me. And that's okay, everyone changes. But what isn't okay is what you did. What happened between Paige and I, was between Paige and I. You were supposedly my friend as well as partner and employee. Maybe the mistake was mine in letting our feelings change our affiliation. Maybe I should have kept it more employer, employee." Walter confessed as Happy stared at him.
"I didn't do anything to you, to Toby or even Sylvester. I can't help what Florence felt. I lied by omission to Paige and she had every right to be mad. But what did I do to deserve what my three oldest friends did to me? I've been there for you guys every step. I protected you, hid what you did from authorities, and paid off your gambling debts. I brought you in and gave you a bigger purpose, and a sense of family, until you walked out on me. Until you started sneaking around with Toby you had been there for me, for each and every step and I am so grateful for that. But as my memories come back, I can't forget what you ultimately did. The three of you took every good thing I've done and threw them in my face. I know I always took the blame when things didn't work out between all of us. No more." Walter let go of her hand as he looked at Ralph, frowning as he thought.
"Did you call me Dad?" Walter asked.
"Sounds like you are remembering a lot more, Dad." Ralph grinned. "While you were unconscious we went ahead and did a DNA test and it turns out you are my Father, 99.99% match." Ralph explained.
Walter stared at him for a moment and then slowly he started grinning and then a tear ran down his cheek.
"Ralph, my son. I couldn't be happier, other than to have been with you from the beginning." Walter told him as he pulled him back down and hugged him.
Walter opened his eyes and looked at Paige as he continued to hug Ralph.
"I'm so sorry I wasn't there for you and Ralph." Walter told her. "I would have done everything I could to provide for you both."
"Walter, it isn't your fault. We didn't know. Still wouldn't if you hadn't recovered that memory." Paige smiled.
"How fast do they do this DNA testing now?" Walter asked as he suddenly remembered it used to take weeks to get DNA tests results.
"You've been unconscious for just about nine days Dad." Ralph told him. "We got the results back yesterday. Not bad, the longest wait was for the samples to get to the lab. It only takes a day or two at most for the lab to process them."
Walter kissed the top of his head.
"That's also from your Aunt Megan." Walter told him.
"M-Megan? What do you mean?" Paige asked.
"Do you know how mathematically perfect you are?" Walter asked as he stared into Paige's eyes.
"Stop it." Paige blushed.
"Never. As for Megan, just before I woke up I was dreaming I was back in Callan, she told me to give her nephew a kiss. I wasn't sure what she meant." Walter smiled.
Greetings! Hope this finds you all well!
Railman - Thank you! Well, it looks like Collins under estimated our memory challenged genius. Glad you are! Callan has a lot to tell you guys in 2001! hehe
Pearliegirl - Thank you so much! I'm glad you are enjoying it!
Susan - hehe Indeed he was acting more impulsively. Thankfully it looks like the cliffhanger and his impulsiveness have resolved adequately! Looks like his body agreed with you and forced him to rest for 9 days! lol Yeah, Toby was being more like S1 Toby, maybe Walter's memory issues has had him reviewing his own memories of things.
Margaret - Walter truly survives a lot! Very thankful for that! Wouldn't be much of a story without him.
Just 1 more chapter! While I'm happy and excited to move on to the other stories I still always dread the final chapter of a story. Even if I know there will be a future story. Oh well.
To the Adventure! -Tim
