WriterFreak001:
The promo for the next episode can be found on SpoilerTV*DOT*com.
I am not saying one way or another (you just have to find out as you read the story), but I hope that if the events in the story don't go the way you want it to (mainly revolving around Paige's possible pregnancy), that you don't stop reading the story.
Thanks! ^_^
Title | Mind Games
Fandom | Scorpion (CBS)
Description | Post-Deception. Four months passed since the ending of "Deception," and it seemed as though life, for the most part, returned to normal for Team Scorpion. Walter and Paige were given a chance to focus on their relationship in the midst of all of the cases that were assigned to the team. However, eventually, all great things must end, and once again, Team Scorpion will have to deal with an even bigger opponent than the Leviathan Mafia. Mark Collins is back for revenge and will have something big in store for Walter – something even the 197 IQ genius might not be able to see coming. And Collins's return just might cause a rift within the Scorpion family in the process, making it next to impossible for them to beat his ultimate game.
Rating| This fanfiction will be rated T for violence, obscene language, sexual themes as well as brain stuff and fluff.
POV | Limited Third Person
Disclaimer | While CBS owns Scorpion, I am the owner of this masterpiece.
Claimer | I am human; there are bound to be mistakes. If you feel like something should be changed, you have the power to send me a review/private message. I can't guarantee if I'll change it every time, but I do read all of my reviews and all of my private messages!
Mind Games
Sequel to Deception
Written by WriterFreak001
Chapter 13
~ SCORPION ~
Paige flushed the toilet once more and rinsed her mouth out with water before leaving the bathroom. She knew everyone was staring at her, but she ignored them as she made her way to the bathroom upstairs to brush her teeth and swish mouthwash around in her mouth. When she returned to the lower level of the garage, she walked over to her son and ruffled his hair.
"How are you feeling, Mom?" Ralph asked as he looked up from her computer and met her eyes; he hardly ever made eye contact with Paige, but when he did, it was normally because he was worried about someone or something; in this case, he was obviously worried about her.
"I'm feeling better," Paige lied as she flashed her son a smile. "In fact," she bent down and kissed his forehead, "I feel so great, I'm thinking about taking a walk to the park with Walter. Do you want to come with us?"
"Sure!" Ralph smiled. "Can we get ice cream too?"
Paige inhaled a deep breath as her stomach churned at the thought of ice cream. She faked a smile. "Of course." She kissed his forehead once more and then rose to her feet. "Why don't you finish your game while I see if Walter is available?"
"Okay!" Ralph beamed and returned to the computer screen as Paige sauntered over to Walter's desk.
"Hey," she lightly smacked him in the arm, "Wanna go to the park with me and Ralph as well as get some ice cream?" She knew she shouldn't leave the garage if in fact she was pregnant, but she needed to stretch her legs, and cardio up and down the garage stairs wasn't hacking it. Plus, she needed to convince her son she was all right, even if she wasn't. When Paige had ripped the first test out of its package, she wasn't sure she could go through with it; the timing was horrible, and if she happened to be pregnant, Mark Collins would have a field day if he ever found out. Even though she was afraid of the results, she took the test anyway – four times in case the first one happened to be a false positive.
Unfortunately, she received a text from Toby saying Walter was on his way up to the loft so she placed the tests into the sink, pitched the box into the trashcan and then closed the door behind her. She didn't know if she had time to run back into the bed so she started changing into her day clothes to have an excuse as to why she was out of the bed. "Walter," she called out to him when he didn't answer her, "did you hear me?" When he didn't respond for a second time, she frowned, wondering if he was mad at her for sending him away earlier. She circled around his desk and tapped on his shoulder. "Walter?" She noticed the various scribbles on the steno notepad he was writing on. He was muttering to himself; muttering incoherent words. Perhaps he wasn't saying words at all. Paige couldn't tell. She bent down and hovered her lips next to his ear; she knew her voice strongly stimulated him so she figured she should try whispering his name in a more intimate tone. He still did not waver. She frowned and rose to her feet before she turned towards Sylvester. "Sylvester," she pointed towards her boyfriend, "Do you know what's wrong with Walter?"
Sylvester looked up from his Rubik's Cube and glanced at Paige and then at Walter. "Oh God." Sylvester leapt from his chair and raced towards Walter. From the front of Walter's desk, Sylvester examined Walter's behavior. "Happy! Toby! Cabe! Come quickly!"
"What's wrong?" Paige's heart skipped a beat. Before Sylvester could answer her, Happy, Toby and Cabe arrived next to the human calculator. Happy looked as though she was about to punch something, Toby slapped his head and Cabe looked as clueless as Paige. "What's going on, guys?!"
"This is bad. This is really, really, really bad!" Sylvester started pacing the floor as Happy slammed her fist against the corner of Walter's desk, causing both Cabe and Paige to jump.
"We're screwed!" Toby covered his face and pulled his skin taut. "Cabe," Toby caught the agent's attention, "You think you can manage tearing Walt away from his computer? He'll probably put up a fight, but if the source of this episode is because of something on his computer screen, then we need to analyze it without Walter present."
"Again! What. Is. Going. On!?" Paige placed her hands on her hips, demanding for some answers.
"Somehow Collins got to Walt." Toby frowned. "To put things mildly, Mr. 197 has taken a nosedive into the Rabbit Hole, and unless we can pull him out of it, we're all screwed. Walter is the only one who can intellectually stimulate Collins and understand that bastard without scratching his head or receiving a migraine. If Walt's intellectually out of the picture, Mark Collins will succeed." Toby heaved a heavy sigh as Paige looked at Walter. He continued mumbling nonsense and scribbling all over his notepad.
Paige closed her eyes and inhaled a deep breath. "This can't be happening." She then remembered Ralph; she didn't want Ralph to see Walter like this. She passed Toby and jogged over to her son. "Ralph, honey," she circled around her desk and gave him a quick hug, "Change in plans; I think Walter caught the bug I had," she lied, "so it might be best if you go to your bedroom until Sylvester disinfects the downstairs. Okay?"
"Okay," Ralph nodded and didn't question his mother any further. The boy hopped off of Paige's computer chair and made his way for the stairs. Paige watched him as he ascended towards the loft and then turned towards the rest of the team. She needed to take charge. "With or without Walter, Mark Collins will not win; that's what he wants you guys to think, and if you buy into that mindset, you're right. Mark Collins will win. Since we've hit a speedbump," she glanced at her boyfriend before turning her attention towards the team, "we need to change our tactics a bit."
"Not me," Happy frowned. "I warned Walt what would happen if he went down there again; you can count me out."
"Happy," Toby caught her arm before she could race off to her desk, "You can't bail like this; not now."
"Watch me," Happy fumed as she ripped her arm away from Toby's grasp and marched towards her desk. "I will not go down that path again; you can't make me."
"Happy," Paige called out to her, "Leave Walter to me; whatever needs to be done to wake him from his state, I'll do it. All you, Toby and Sylvester need to do is work on finding Collins. I know you hate him as much as the rest of us so focus your anger on Mark Collins and not on Walter."
Happy inhaled a sigh and pushed her hair out of her face. She grabbed her wrench. "Fine," she spat. "Just so you know, I can't be responsible for my actions after your boyfriend returns to reality." She smacked her wrench into her palm, "He might just have a Happy-induced headache coming his way."
"And I'm sure he'll accept it with humility," Paige sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. She turned back to the group when Happy rejoined them. "Once you drag Walter upstairs," she looked at Cabe, "do you think you might be able to help these three," she pointed towards Toby, Sylvester and Happy, "analyze Walter's computer? We can't afford another genius taking a trip down there, and all three of them are susceptible to whatever is on Walter's computer. I'm sure they'd be able to guide you from a safe distance."
"I'll sure as hell try, but what're you going to do in order to try and bring Walter out of the hole?" Cabe asked as he glanced at the leader of Scorpion.
"I don't know yet, but I'll do whatever it takes." Paige folded her arms in front of her and looked at her boyfriend; the man was still a mumbling mess.
"You could try forcing sex on him." Toby tried to hide his smirk. Paige gave him a death glare. "Or not."
"Okay," Cabe rolled his eyes at Toby and then looked at the human calculator. "Sylvester, help me with Walt. If he's gonna struggle, I won't be able to get him up those goddamn steps myself."
"O-okay," Sylvester's voice wavered as he circled around Walter's desk. "I'll grab his arms; you grab his feet."
"Why do I get the feet?" Cabe lifted an eyebrow.
"Because," Sylvester gulped, "Walt's…quite the kicker." Before Cabe could respond, Sylvester wrapped his arms underneath Walter's and pulled him off of his chair. Walter squirmed in Sylvester's hold as Cabe bent down to grab Walter's feet. The genius grumbled, twisted and turned as the agent and the human calculator dragged him up the stairs; it was hard for Paige to watch, and she was glad she sent Ralph up to his room. She worried, though, if the boy would hear Walter's loud grunts.
Happy walked off to her desk, mentioning something about hacking into street cameras. Toby, however, tapped Paige's shoulder, causing her to turn around. He took off his hat. "So…?"
"So…what?" Paige lifted an eyebrow as she rested her hands on her hips.
"What's the verdict?"
"Oh…," Paige swallowed the lump in her throat, "Um…, I don't know."
"You decided not to take the test?"
"No," she shook her head, "I took them."
"I'm confused," Toby scratched his head.
"I took the test…four times. I didn't have time to see the results." Paige explained as she ran a hand through her hair. "Besides, I thought you said you weren't going to butt in anymore."
"Well, that was before Mr. 197 took a nosedive down the Rabbit Hole." Toby folded his arms in front of him. "I think the terms have changed a bit, Paige. If the tests are positive, then you need to know, because if they are, we've gotta do whatever we can to keep you safe. If Walt returns to reality and finds out something's happened to you and your potential precious cargo, he'll never live to forget it – and he will blame himself. That's why it's important you find out now. You don't have to announce it to the group or anything. I just think it might be wise for you to know so you can take extra safety precautions while Mr. Crazy's still out there."
"Fine, but if the tests prove positive, I'm not going to tell anyone. Not even you, Toby. It's something I want to keep a secret; in the event that Mark Collins has found a way to bypass the frequency system Happy designed, then I don't want him to find out. Besides…," Paige looked towards the loft as Cabe and Sylvester came down the stairs, "If I am pregnant," she whispered, "I think Walter should be the first to know."
"And I respect that," Toby patted Paige's shoulder. "What you decide to do with the information is your business; you just need to be extra careful if in fact you are pregnant." Before Paige could reply, Toby left for his desk as Sylvester passed her and headed for his own.
Cabe walked up to her and placed his palm on her shoulder. "Go bring our favorite guy back."
Paige inhaled a deep breath and released it slowly. "I'll try."
"Good." Cabe smiled. "Walt's in the loft; the moment we brought him up there, the second he walked to the whiteboard and started scribbling gibberish all over the board."
"Okay…," Paige looked towards the loft, "I'll see what I can do."
~ SCORPION ~
Paige ascended the stairs and found Walter at the whiteboard just as Cabe had described. She decided it would be best of Ralph went down to the lower level and not see Walter in his current state. She went to her son's bedroom and found him at his computer. "Ralph?"
"Mom," Ralph turned to look at his mother, "I got a weird email. I didn't open it because you told me to never open emails from strangers, but the subject has an encrypted title."
Paige felt her heart sink. "Ralph, delete that email and turn your computer off, okay?"
"Okay." Ralph nodded and did as his mother told him.
"Come with me; I want you to go downstairs now; Walter is still not feeling well. He needs his rest." Paige said as she picked up her son and quickly walked towards the steps, hoping Ralph wouldn't see Walter at his whiteboard. Ralph rushed off to Proton Arnold. Then Paige called for everyone's attention. "I don't care what it takes," she tried to remain as calm as possible. "I want Mark Collins found; I think he just tried to send Ralph the same email he must have sent Walter. Whatever you do, stay away from your emails; we can't be too sure how many messages he had sent. For all we know," Paige frowned, "Mark Collins could be targeting the whole team; what better way to keep all of you busy than to send all of you down the Rabbit Hole? So…, don't check your emails!" Without another word, she raced back up the stairs. Mark Collins had targeted her son.
And that was not okay.
When she found Walter again, he had not moved from the board. She had to act quickly; Mark Collins was growing more aggressive. "Walter," she called her boyfriend's name as she touched his shoulder. He paused to her touch and then quickly resumed his scribbles; she sighed. "Walter," she tried again. "Walter, you need to listen to me." He continued writing. She knocked the marker out of his hand. He grabbed another one. She groaned and then picked up all of the markers and tossed them into the trash before snatching the one wedged between his fingers; she threw it across the room. When he turned to fetch it, she blocked his path and grabbed his face. "Walter, you need to snap out of it."
He struggled to get by her, but she would not budge. She grabbed his arm and pulled him away from the whiteboard. He tried to free himself, but she would not have it. She only tightened her grip around his wrist as she dragged him to his bedroom. Once she pushed him inside, she closed the door behind her and locked it. She put a chair in front of it to keep him from trying to escape. "Walter," she said his name again, "if you don't snap out of it, Mark Collins will go after Ralph." Walter froze at the mention of the boy's name. "I know you don't want that, but he's already sent Ralph an encrypted email – the same one he sent you. He wants Ralph to go down the Rabbit Hole too." She hooked her arms around the man's neck as he remained frozen in front of her. She could tell he was battling something within his mind, and hoped his emotions would win. "I know you don't want anything to happen to Ralph, Walter. He's like a son to you."
"S-son…." Walter muttered softly, causing Paige to smile.
"Yes, son." Paige reiterated as she pulled him closer to her. "Walter," she managed to capture his gaze, "If you don't snap out of it, Mark Collins might find a way to get to Ralph." She inhaled a deep breath and released it. "He might also find a way to get to me, Walter. You don't want that, do you?" Her fingers curled into his hair. "Don't give Collins what he wants."
Walter stared at her; he looked so lost. So confused. It was like he wanted to break free of his imprisonment, but he didn't know how.
"PAIGE! WE FOUND SOMETHING IN THE EMAIL!" Toby shouted from the lower level of the garage.
"Email…." Walter muttered. The next thing Paige knew, he ripped himself away from her, knocked the chair out of his way and bolted back towards his whiteboard. She cursed; she had almost had him.
"Thanks Toby." Paige mumbled under her breath and headed for the lower loft, forgetting about the tests still sitting in the sink.
~ SCORPION ~
"That's it, Walter," Mark Collins smirked as he peered into his binoculars and looked down into the window of the loft, seeing Walter writing frantically on the whiteboard. "Embrace the Rabbit Hole because once I've finished with your fucking slut, you'll never want to return to reality ever again."
~ SCORPION ~
WriterFreak001:
So…. What do you think Team Scorpion found? What do you think Paige might do to bring Walter out of the Rabbit Hole? So many questions still unanswered!
Let me know what you think!