A/N: Hey all. Sorry for the long gap between chapters, but I decided not to post such a depressing chapter as the hurricane was bearing down. People had enough to worry about this weekend. I hope that all my readers that were in the vicinity of Florence managed to stay safe and relatively dry.
On a less serious note, I really hope that whoever named the storm was a Scorpion fan. What an aptly named hurricane for this year.
Getting back to serious notes:
WARNING: This chapter contains references to, and evidence of, child abuse.
Disclaimer: CBS owns Scorpion.
Chapter 14: Laughs, Cries, and Screams
"Ralph's code is working like a charm," said Walter. "All of the computers that the virus had targeted as of two nights ago are clean."
"Great," said Sylvester. "Now we just need to do it all over again for the computers hit since."
"Well, Ralph has to be present in his classes, so you boys are going to have to take over," said Paige.
"'Not a problem," said Walter, already getting to work. "Sly, do you want to take—"
"Yup, I got it."
"Excellent."
"Okay, well…" Paige turned back to her own desk, which was conspicuously empty. Then she turned around again as Sylvester's phone began buzzing.
Sylvester glanced at the caller ID and frowned for a moment, then answered. "Hello? Dyfrost, since when do you… Our office? Um, sure… Well… What?"
Walter and Paige exchanged a glance.
"Um, okay… Yeah… See you soon." Sylvester hung up his phone and frowned at it for a moment before setting it down. "We're about to have some visitors."
"From the Warlock's Chest?"
"Yup."
"Why?"
"Oh, I'll let them explain when they get here." From the look on Sylvester's face and the fact that it was Dyfrost who had called, Walter had a feeling this was going to be something rather absurd.
"Maybe I should have gone with Toby and Happy today," Paige muttered.
"To spend time with Patrick?" asked Walter. "I'm not sure your presence would have been fully appreciated."
"Well, I have a feeling you're going to have to translate these guys for me, rather than the other way around."
"She means you, Sly."
"Yeah, I know."
They arrived in costume, of course. Dyfrost was flanked by his cousin, the Lady Susan whom they had met at the airport back in the spring, and Kaldor. They saluted Sylvester as he bid them enter.
"Most honorable knights of Team Scorpion, the Warlock's Chest is in need of your aid," said Dyfrost.
"What happened?" Walter asked.
"Well, at the suggestion of my dear cousin, we undertook to enter the digital realm created to mirror our beloved game, Fantasies and Frolics. While at first it was difficult to adapt our respective abilities to the challenges presented, we persisted and, to a degree, prevailed in the challenges created by the benign lords of the realm. Now, however, a dark threat has befallen the realm, and it is not one created by the lords. Things are… being changed."
Walter frowned. "Sly?"
"They're playing an online version of Fantasies and Frolics—against my recommendation, I might add—and the internal code of the game is being changed."
"Their online game is being hacked? From what I've heard, that is not uncommon."
"Yes, but hackers typically endeavor to create optimal situations for their own characters and allies, in order to achieve optimal rewards. This is an attack, not meant to cheat on anyone's behalf, but merely to ruin people's experiences."
"And they have caused most egregious damage," said Dyfrost. "Where once there were twelve swords of the scion, there are now thirteen."
"It is a most ominous number," Kaldor added, "that bodes of ill fortune for the many who would quest for weapons of such great prestige."
Walter sighed. "Sylvester…"
"It shouldn't be that difficult to fix. And if it is the virus causing the damage, that's one more target cleansed. Ralph's program doesn't account for online games."
"To me, that seems like a good thing," said Paige. "That means he wasn't thinking about games as he was writing it."
"It's not a good thing for the players of those games." Sylvester turned back to Walter. "I say we contact the developers and help out."
"The lords of the realm are most far away. You will have to travel far to consort with them."
"No need," said Walter. "We can use your copies of the game to fix the code and fortify it against further incursions from the virus, and then upload it to the developers." The developers would have previous versions of the game from before the virus struck, but those would be just as vulnerable to incursions.
"We most heartily thank you, honest knight."
Sylvester saluted them. "We will arrive at the Warlock's Chest within the hour."
They returned the salute and departed. Several seconds later, Cabe walked in. "Well, that was a close one."
"Were you hiding from them?" Paige asked.
"Well, I just happened to see them in the doorway as I was coming in, and… I decided it would be best if they didn't see me on their way out. You know how those conversations tend to take longer than they should."
"So, you were hiding."
Cabe's face fell.
"And here I thought you were just setting a new record for the longest coffee run ever," said Walter.
"Kovelsky's was a zoo this morning. If that place keeps getting more popular, we're going to have to find a new spot."
"Yeah, we know that's never actually going to happen," said Paige.
"So, what's on the docket?" Cabe asked.
"We're about to head over to the Warlock's Chest," said Walter. "And you're coming. You can bring the coffee that it took you over an hour to purchase."
"Really?"
"Yes." Walter looked at Paige. "Are you coming?"
"She gets to decide?" Cabe asked.
"She has been here all morning, and is putting in her salaried time efficiently."
"Her desk is empty."
"He's got a point," Paige said to Walter. "I really don't have anything to do today. So, to put in my salaried time, as you put it, I'll come along on the job. Not that I have any idea how I could possibly help on this one."
"Sir Magnus, I am most pleased to see you again," said Lady Susan, curtseying as the team entered the Warlock's Chest.
"Likewise, my lady," Cabe replied offhandedly as he looked around. "This place looks different."
"Yeah, it's computers instead of the actual game," said Sylvester. "See, this is why I advised against switching to the online game. There is far less direct interaction involved when everything is online."
"Really?" Paige looked at him. "I'm impressed with your reasoning."
"Well, the change has had its merits and its demerits," said Dyfrost.
"Show me the code for the game," said Walter. It would be better to do this as quickly as possible. He didn't want to spend much time here.
Dyfrost and Kaldor exchanged a glance. "And… how might we accomplish that?"
Walter sighed. "Just let me see the game."
"Most certainly." Dyfrost led him over to one of the computers, opening the game.
"No, you don't need to log in," said Walter. "Here, let me…" He took over the keyboard and opened the code for the game. It was substantial. "Great." The size wasn't so much the issue as the fact that he didn't know what the code had originally looked like, so he wouldn't be able to identify the changes. "I'm going to assume that none of you ever examined the code prior to the changes?"
"We were previously unaware that we even could."
"Alright. You're going to have to log in and travel to the locations of the changes in the game. Then I can identify the corresponding code and fix it."
"Very well. The time of our great quest is at hand. Will you be joining us, noble Sir Magnus?"
Sylvester glanced at Cabe. "The larger the party, the easier this will be."
"Fine," Cabe muttered. "What do I do?"
"Paige?" Sylvester asked.
She glanced at him. "Are you serious?"
"You would surely be helpful to our cause, fair dame." Kaldor bowed low.
"Fine."
"Then construct your avatars and join us in the realm," said Dyfrost, directing them to two of the computers in the room.
"The internet bill for this place must have skyrocketed since you brought these computers in," Sylvester muttered.
Dyfrost showed Cabe how to get started. "I believe you would fare best as an orc. They are physically strong and have a high weapon proficiency."
Cabe glanced at him. "Alright." He looked at the statistics of the creature Dyfrost had indicated. "Poor healing? That's some weakness."
"Do not fear, Sir Magnus," said Lady Susan. "I am most skilled in the natural healing arts of the Druids of the Wandering Wood. I will keep you from falling at the hands of our foes."
"I can just be a human, right?" Paige asked.
"You could," Kaldor replied, "but you may find their skills rather… average. Perhaps you would prefer a humanoid fae. They look just like humans, but are more proficient in the magical arts."
"I will be fine with just a human," said Paige.
"Very well."
Once Cabe and Paige had created their characters, Dyfrost spoke again. "Welcome, friends, to the town of Greenhome. It is here that our great quest will begin. First, however, you will need to purchase some weapons. Follow me yonder." Walter waited until he spoke again. "Here is a shop where you will be able to buy basic weapons. With the few coins you begin with, you will be able to buy items such as a basic sword, or a basic bow with twenty arrows."
"Twenty isn't a lot," said Cabe. "I suppose I'll start with the sword."
"I would rather not use a weapon," said Paige.
Dyfrost and Kaldor glanced at her. "Um, not even a slingshot?"
"Perhaps the healing staff would be more suitable for her," Sylvester suggested.
"But we already have a healer. If we want to prevail in our quest as promptly as possible—"
"Guys, let her buy a staff."
Walter understood Dyfrost's argument for the most efficient means of completing the task at hand, but he also understood Paige not wanting to fight.
"Thanks, Sly," said Paige.
Several seconds later, Dyfrost spoke again. "Now, brave adventurers, our quest begins."
Walter glanced over at Paige's screen and saw their characters leave the town along a dirt road flanked by cartoonish representations of farms. Other characters could be seen dashing to and fro.
"There's quite the crowd by that farm over there," said Cabe.
"Most curious," Kaldor replied. "Farmer Tenlor asks beginning travelers for help retrieving honeycombs, and pays well for it. It is a popular quest for those looking to acquire as many coins as possible at the dawn of their time in the realm. However, it is unusual for there to be quite such a crowd at his farm."
"What is that thing?" Cabe asked.
"By the Winds of Wildermere," Dyfrost muttered. "It appears the farm is beset by… some manner of wasp demon."
"I take it that's not supposed to be there?" Walter asked.
"It is most certainly not. And it is hideous. The artwork looks highly out of place in the game."
"It's coming towards us," said Paige.
"Adventurers, prepare for battle!"
"Walter, you better hurry and clean up this code," said Sylvester. "I have a feeling this fight isn't going to go well."
Walter earnestly examined the code for the region of the game that they were in.
"Lady Susan, I thought you would be keeping my health up," said Cabe.
"I am trying, Sir Magnus," Lady Susan replied. "It would help if you didn't get hit every time it attacked."
Walter frowned as he examined the code, seeing his own name. This was definitely Mark's doing. Deleting everything within the errant section of the code, including the creature, he looked up. "Alright, it's done. Get away from that thing, and it'll be gone once the developers get this code."
"Retreat!" Dyfrost ordered. The characters ran away from the monster. "Alright, onward to the next anomaly!"
"Our new allies will need better weapons and armor," said Kaldor.
"We will see what we can find."
"We are nearing the caves of the scion," said Dyfrost, "but I fear for our ability to reach the swords."
"Reinforcements are on the way, cousin," said Lady Susan, glancing at her phone, which lay beside her keyboard.
"That is most relieving news," said Kaldor. "Our current party is…" He trailed off, glancing at Cabe and Paige.
"Insufficiently experienced?" Paige offered. Walter smirked at her sardonic use of the big words.
"Yes." Kaldor quickly accepted her kind phrasing.
"How many times are you allowed to die in this game?" Cabe muttered. "Is there really no limit?"
"Of course," Dyfrost replied. "It would be a very brief game for many if they could only die a limited number of times."
"Not exactly realistic. And it certainly doesn't teach you survival skills."
"Well, it is unpleasant to die, even when you can do it as many times as you like."
Noises were heard upstairs. "Ah, I believe that will be our reinforcements." Lady Susan smiled and went to the stairs, glancing at who was approaching. "Brother, you have arrived at last."
"I apologize, Sister. The professor delayed the conclusion of the class to take questions from the commoners."
"Mouse?" Sylvester asked. Walter followed his gaze and watched as the shy boy whom Cecilia had referred to as Mouse entered the room.
"May I present my youngest cousin," said Dyfrost, "Sir Macklan the Mighty."
"You're Sir Macklan?" Sylvester asked. "I have heard tell of you. I had no idea you were so… young."
The boy whom Walter didn't know whether to think of as Mouse, Michael, or Sir Macklan nodded towards Sylvester. "It is good to see you again." He sounded far more confident in this environment than he had in the garage on campus.
Lady Susan turned to Paige. "Would you mind terribly if my brother were to take command of that computer?"
"Not at all," Paige replied, quickly stepping away from the computer. Michael walked over and logged her out, then logged in to his own account.
Paige walked over to Walter. "Well, that was something different," she said quietly.
He glanced at her, caught off guard by how automatically she had walked over to his side.
"Let's never do this again," she added, her voice dropping even lower.
"Hopefully, we won't have to," he replied, just as quietly.
The others waited for Michael to join them in the game. "That's a big axe," Cabe commented.
"It is named after him," Lady Susan said proudly. "He prevailed in a tournament."
"Congratulations."
"Thank you, Sir Magnus," Michael replied. Walter wondered if he had known when Cabe had first addressed him as a Homeland agent.
"Now our troubles should be greatly diminished," said Dyfrost. "Onward, adventurers!"
"It doesn't make sense," Walter mused as he sat in the back of Paige's car on the way back to the office. "Dyfrost said that they didn't start playing the online version of Fantasies and Frolics until after Lady Susan arrived, which was back in the spring. There's no way that Mark could have known about it before he…"
"I agree," said Sylvester. "He couldn't have targeted the game to spite us."
"And yet my name was in the code. It was targeted. Just like how Cecilia's computer started playing the song while we were there, even though Mark could never have known about her."
"You said it was just a coincidence," said Paige.
"The combined probabilities are far too low for it to just be a coincidence," said Sylvester.
"Which means that the virus is being manually updated," said Walter. "But, by who?"
"It has to be by someone who knows us very well," said Sylvester, "and knows who we're friends with."
"And is following us very closely," Walter added.
"I'll call Agent Johnson as soon as we get back to the office," said Cabe. "If the threat is an actual person, and not just a computer virus, Homeland needs to know about it."
When they arrived, however, Paige checked her phone for the messages she had missed while she was driving. "Guys, I have a text from Ralph. He says he's discovered something about the virus."
"It might be the same thing that we just discovered," said Walter, "but we should go see."
Walter looked up as Michael entered the garage. He didn't know whether he should say something, or if the other students knew about Michael's interactions at the Warlock's Chest. The boy might prefer to keep quiet about it, the way Sylvester sometimes did. Deciding not to say anything, Walter looked back at Ralph's screen.
"It's obvious that there are periodic manual updates to the code," said Ralph. "That's why it's become more difficult to track the next round of attacks."
"So, someone is making changes?" Cecilia asked. She looked at Walter. "I thought you said that Mark Collins is dead."
"He is." Walter felt a fresh round of guilt land in his gut.
"So then someone else must be updating the virus," said Ada. "Who else would—" She suddenly fell silent, and Ariel stilled.
"Ada?" Cecilia asked.
"Walter O'Brien."
The voice came from Ariel, but Walter immediately knew that it wasn't Ada speaking. He stood.
Ariel approached him. "Walter O'Brien."
"What?"
"Say my name."
Walter raised his eyebrows.
Ariel didn't stop until it was standing directly in front of him. "Say the name of the man that you killed."
A chill fell over the room, and Walter felt everyone's eyes on him. He didn't dare look at any of the students.
"Say it."
"Mark Collins."
Several seconds of silence followed as the air began to feel more and more dense around his skin. Then Ariel spoke again. "Hello? Can you guys hear me?" That was Ada again.
"Ada?" asked Ralph.
"Yeah. I was completely cut off that time. That wasn't fun." Ariel looked around. "What happened?"
Walter finally dared to look at her other peers in the room. They were staring at him with horrified looks.
"You killed him?" Cecilia asked.
"Not intentionally. It was… It was an accident. I…"
"What happened?"
"I… I lost control. I thought he had killed…" He looked at Paige, who was watching Cecilia and the others.
"You lost control?" Cecilia's face transformed. "You killed someone, and you claim that it was an accident, because you lost…" She trailed off, looking away from him. "You typical man."
Cabe raised his eyebrows. "Excuse me?"
"You men using your emotions as excuses. You hurt people and just claim that you lost control of your emotions."
"That's what happened," said Walter. "I thought he had killed the woman that I love."
"You're pathetic. You're just another small man who couldn't hold his temper. Just like my father." She lifted up her shirt and showed her stomach, and Walter stared. "He also claimed that he was just losing control." There were several small, circular scars that, when she was younger and smaller, would have matched cigarette butts. Elsewhere on her skin, there were longer, jagged scars.
"My god," Cabe breathed.
"He's in prison now, where he belongs. That's where you should be."
Walter couldn't stop staring at the scars. His insides felt like they were now pure ice.
She lowered her shirt and turned away from him, and Ariel immediately went to her.
Walter didn't feel like he could move. Cabe walked over and put a hand on his shoulder. "Don't touch me," he said immediately.
"I think you should go," said Tyler, also walking over to Cecilia.
"I think he's right," Sylvester said quietly, glancing at Paige. She nodded.
"Come," Cabe said quietly. Walter turned and followed him and the others out of the garage, his legs moving slowly on automatic.
"Walter, wait." Walter stopped and turned, and saw Ralph running after him. "I'll try to talk to her. You're nothing like her father."
Walter felt his insides thaw a little, but he wasn't sure that Ralph was correct.
Ralph walked right up to him and lowered his voice. "Also, I don't know if you realized it, but you also just said that you love my mom. You should probably address that with her."
Paige called Toby, and he and Happy came to the office. Walter felt bad about their time with Patrick being cut short, but he knew why Paige had called. Toby entered and immediately walked over to Walter. "Listen, O'Brien. You're nothing like that horrible man who did that to his daughter. And she's going to come around and see that."
"I appreciate that, Toby." Walter was determined not to think about it anymore, at least while they had a more immediate problem to face. "We need to figure out who is updating the virus."
"No, we're going to talk about this."
"No, we aren't. We are facing a threat to national security, and we are going to deal with it, like we always do. We're not getting sidetracked by distractions anymore."
Toby looked defiant for a moment, then turned and walked over to Paige. Walter watched as they conferred quietly.
"I'm going over to Lancaster," Happy announced. "I'll speak privately with Ada and see what she can do about fixing this mess on Cecilia's end."
Toby looked over. "That's a good idea, love."
Walter frowned. They were not focusing on the threat at hand. But Happy's skills weren't suited to finding out who was updating the virus, so he let her go.
Toby and Paige conferred for another minute, and then Toby walked back over to Walter's desk. "So, who hates us enough to be updating Collins's virus to target us?"
"Anna," Walter immediately replied, recalling his recurring nightmares.
"She's in prison, Walt. And she's a chemist, not a hacker. This couldn't be her."
"Then who?" Walter felt his frustration start to boil over, and decided it was best if he wasn't around them right now. "I'm going outside for a minute." He carefully avoided looking at any of them as he stood and crossed the room to the door.
Once outside, he breathed in as much of the fresh air as he could at once, trying to silence his emotions. Walking to the nearest street corner, he looked around. Who could be targeting them like this? Who could track them so efficiently without revealing themselves? Were they watching right now?
"Walter?"
He turned as Paige approached. "What?" The word came out a little too harshly, but he didn't feel like that was wholly inappropriate. He had come out here to get away from them.
She frowned a little at his tone, and stopped. "We're just trying to help. You know that."
"Well, you're not helping me figure out who's doing this. And that's what we need to do right now."
"You're right. But you also need to address what just happened with Cecilia. You're—"
"No, I don't." He turned away from her again, looking around at the people who were walking to and fro, proceeding with their daily lives. Who was their assailant?
"I know you, Walter. You can't just turn off your emotions like you used to. The longer you try to keep this below the surface, the more it's going to bother you."
He turned back to her, and found that she had taken a couple steps closer to him. "Paige, we are dealing with a hacker that's in control of a virus that can go anywhere on the internet, and do anything to just about any computer. That is the only thing that is bothering me right now."
"What happened to being completely honest with each other?"
The question silenced his thoughts. They had agreed to that as a condition of restoring the team.
"You're not being completely honest with me, are you, Walter? Or you're not being completely honest with yourself."
"I can't afford to think about it right now."
"Then talk to me about it. Talk to me about it so it's not going to eat you from the inside later."
"Paige, I…" He looked away from her. "I can't."
"You're nothing like Cecilia's father."
Walter didn't look back at her. "I did the same thing. I lost control of my emotions and did something terrible."
"That man hurt his own daughter. Repeatedly. He wasn't just losing control of his emotions, he was sick. You are not him. You did something terrible once, and it was because of…" She trailed off.
Now he looked back at her. She was looking down, a tear threatening to fall from her eye. "Because I love you."
"Don't say it like that."
"But that's why it happened. I attacked Mark because I thought he had killed you. If I didn't love you, he would still be alive."
She looked up at him again, revealing tears in both eyes. "That's not fair to either of us."
"But it's the truth. And I can't…" He looked away again. "It's best if I'm not around you right now." Turning, he started walking away. A vocal part of him wanted her to follow, but he didn't dare to look back.
He kept his gaze forward until he reached the far end of the next block. Then, finally, he allowed himself to look back. She was still standing exactly where he had left her, watching him.
He looked at her for another moment, then started walking again.
In the end, he had circled back to his car, without ever going back into the office. It was best if he didn't see any of them at the moment. Going home, he entered his studio and sat in silence, fighting his emotions. Saying what he had said to Paige had proven to be extremely painful for him as well, but it was the truth. His emotions, and particularly his love for her, had proven to be a lethal hazard.
He couldn't be around them anymore. He cared too much about all of them. It was a hard truth to accept, given everything that they had been through. But he wasn't who he used to be. He had done something terrible, something he could never forgive himself for. It was something he couldn't allow to happen again, no matter what.
He spent the rest of the day searching fruitlessly for a way to identify the person who was updating the virus. It wasn't until his stomach started growling so insistently that he couldn't hear himself think that he allowed himself to eat. And it wasn't until his brain grew hopelessly foggy that he closed his laptop and lay down.
Sleep, however, provided no reprieve. Anna was there, and everyone else was dead. Paige's lifeless eyes were staring right at him, and one arm lay outstretched towards his foot, which was just beyond her reach. He stepped away from her, and turned his gaze to the other bodies in the empty, red terrain. Toby and Happy were holding each other, even in death. Cabe was holding his sunglasses in his hand, an expression of disappointment forever frozen on his face. Sylvester was holding a picture of Megan. Ralph was turned away from him. Walter circled around to try to see the boy's face, but whichever way he went, Ralph's back remained towards him.
"Walter?" He turned back to the picture of Megan. It didn't move. Beyond Sylvester's body, Anna was now kneeling over another corpse, one that she hadn't killed. Mark. The body was covered in blood, and Walter looked down and saw that same blood on his hands once again.
"Do you understand now?" Anna stood and turned towards him, her cheeks stained from tears. "Do you understand how it feels to lose everything? You took everything from me, but at that same moment, you took everything from yourself."
Her hands were clean, and she wasn't holding any weapon like she had in some of the earlier nightmares. Walter looked down at his own hands, and understood that it wasn't just Mark's blood on them. He had killed all of them.
"You're a monster, Walter. You're a killer." She circled around until she was standing in front of Paige's body, looking down at it sadly. "Every moment you're around them, you're a threat. Don't do to anyone else what you did to me." She looked up at him. "Please."
"I won't," he assured her. He felt a splash on his leg as blood dripped from his hand. "I promise, I won't hurt anyone else."
Abruptly, Anna transformed into Cecilia. "You can't control it. You can't keep your emotions in check."
"I will. I'll do whatever I have to."
"Will you really? Can you really walk away from them?"
"Can you really walk away from us?" Walter looked down to see that Paige's body was now alive. "Don't walk away. You love me too much."
In unison, his fallen teammates stood around him. Only Mark remained dead.
"I have to. I do love you. Too much." He stepped back from her, and as he did so, the color returned to her face. She was safer if he was further away. Everyone was safer.
Tears slipped from her eyes before her eyelids closed to seal them in. "Do what you have to, Walter."
"I'm holding you to it," said Cecilia. She and Anna were both standing there now, their eyes demanding that he continue walking away. Turning, he began to run, and the red in the terrain faded.
He woke up. His legs felt a little tired, as if he really had been running. He looked around until his gaze fell on his laptop, but he didn't move just yet. His subconscious promise lingered in his mind. He had to leave.
But this case still needed to be solved. It would be most efficient to continue working with Sylvester and Ralph to solve it, wouldn't it?
No. No one was safe when he was around them. He had to keep his promise.
Phantom. That was the answer. Phantom had first brought the virus to their attention, and had proven his proficiency as a hacker. Phantom could help him figure out who was updating the virus, and he would be well away from anyone that he cared about.
Getting out of bed, he quickly washed up and began packing. He was surprised when he saw the clock. He had slept very late. But then, he had gone to sleep very late.
He was just about done when there was a sharp knock on the door. He waited, hoping that whoever it was would just go way. The person knocked a second time. Walter continued to wait.
There was silence for a little while, and Walter returned his attention to the packing. Then there was a third, more insistent knock. Sighing, Walter went to the door and opened it.
"Stop hiding," said Sylvester. He was standing with his hands on his hips.
"Go away."
"Not a chance." Sylvester pushed past him into the studio. That was the second time he had pushed Walter, and Walter decided that this time was far more rational than the first. "Stop hiding and come to work."
"I can't."
"Why not?"
"Because I'm dangerous."
Sylvester raised his eyebrows and looked Walter up and down. "Really?"
"I lost control of my emotions, and look what happened. That can't happen again. Everyone is safer if I'm not around all of you."
Sylvester's face fell. Walter knew that he would understand. It was painful, but it was the truth. "You're a coward."
What? "Excuse me?"
"You're a coward, Walter. Are you really so afraid of your own emotions now that you're going to run away from all of us. And I thought it was pathetic that you were hiding from coming back to work."
"Sylvester, I killed someone." He managed to catch himself before saying it too loudly, knowing that walls in the building were a little thin.
"You killed Collins. And it wasn't intentional. You're not using that as an excuse to run away. If you think I'm just going to let you leave, you really don't know me at all. Especially after everything we went through to bring this team back together."
"It's not up to you." Walter turned and zipped his suitcase, knocking aside a shirt that hadn't fully made it in yet.
"I'm not leaving here until you come back to work. No more running, no more hiding. We're going to beat this hacker and then face whatever comes next together."
Walter spun back around, his frustrations boiling out. "You're one to talk about hiding. How long have you been hiding behind the memory of my sister?"
A shadow of anger fell across Sylvester's face, but only for a moment. "That's neither here nor there. And you are a small man for bringing that up now."
"Get the hell out of my apartment. You'll understand, Sylvester. You're safer if I'm not around. The whole team is."
Sylvester shook his head. "No, you're going to understand how big a mistake this is."
"It isn't. I promised…"
"Who did you promise?"
Walter shook his head, not wanting to talk about the nightmare. "I have to keep you all safe. Whatever it takes."
Sylvester sighed. "We're not finished. But you're clearly not thinking rationally right now." Turning, he left the apartment, and Walter went to shut the door. Before he did so, Sylvester looked back at him. "I want you to try to understand how disappointed I am with you right now. I know that will be hard for you."
