WriterFreak001:

Nothing new other than the fact that the next episode of SCORPION is on tomorrow! :) I can't freakin' wait! :D

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!

WARNING:

Readers' Discretion is advised. Obscene language in this chapter.

Mind Games

Sequel to Deception

Written by WriterFreak001

Chapter 16

~ SCORPION ~

Before Toby could respond, Walter nearly stumbled out of the bathroom as he raked his hands through his curly hair and shook his head violently. "No. No. No. No. No. Paige c-cannot be pr-pregnant! That's n-not… that's not p-possible!"

"Welcome back to Planet Earth, Einstein." Toby leaned against the doorframe of the bathroom, "It's uncanny how the both of you responded the same way after learning about the pregnancy."

Walter stared at the floor and rested his elbows on his knees after sitting down on the foot of his bed; his hands were still clutching his hair. "Th-there's g-gotta be a m-mistake. F-False positives;" Walter looked at Toby with frustrated eyes, "that happens right?"

Toby lifted an eyebrow. "Four consecutive false positives in a row? I don't think so." Toby shrugged, "I don't think it's a coincidence that she woke up with some stomach bug this morning, Walt. The proof is in the pudding – or shall I say, 'vomit?'" Toby chuckled as he pushed himself forward and walked over to Walter. He stood in front of the 197 IQ genius and folded his arms in front of him. "Face it, Walter. Paige is pregnant with your child, and if we don't find her, both Paige and Waige Junior – or would it be Palter? No. No. I like the sound of Waige better – anyway," Toby frowned, "I think you're smart enough to know what could happen if we don't find Paige soon."

Walter's eyes shot open as he remembered Paige's broken phone. He pulled it out of his pocket and stared at it. Paige was pregnant with his child, and she was in trouble. He pulled an unscathed chip out of the wreckage and clamped it into his hand. He realized the dream he had of Paige crying and pulling away from him might have not been a dream after all. He rose to his feet and heaved a heavy sigh. "Not a word about Paige's condition to anyone." He decided to accept the fact that Paige was pregnant; he could not refute corroborating evidence. Toby was right; the odds of having four false positives were infinitesimal. He closed his eyes and ran his hand through his hair again. "What do we know so far?"

"Ralph and Cabe are on their way back from their little outing – Cabe thought it would be a good idea to keep Ralph busy and not have him discover you in your condition when you were down the Rabbit Hole. Anyway," Toby spoke as he followed Walter towards the loft, "Ralph called because he received a weird text from Paige. He can explain the details further when he arrives. We did try tracing her phone, but there was no ping – now I know why."

After Walter and Toby descended the stairs, everyone snapped their heads in Walter's direction. Sylvester smiled, Happy merely glanced at him and then returned to her work. Walter ignored his greetings and said, "Somehow Mark Collins infiltrated our frequency transmitter; has there been any delivery within the last twenty-four hours in which Mark could have had access to any time before its arrival?"

"Well," Toby rubbed his chin, "We did order pizza for lunch." Walter circled around the stairs and entered the kitchen; there was a pizza box sitting on the counter waiting to be recycled. Everyone followed Walter and watched as he opened the box. Nothing. He closed it and examined the sides and then the bottom. Still nothing. "Come to think of it," Toby folded his arms against his chest, "Just before the pizza guy left, he 'dropped' something." Toby looked towards the front door of the garage, "I thought he seemed a bit sketchy. The more I think about it, the more I am convinced that Collins got to him somehow."

Walter briskly walked towards the front door and scanned the area. He spotted a small, dark blue bag underneath the metal chair to the right of the door. After he reached down to pick it up, he unzipped the bag and pulled out a small device and presented it to everyone.

Suddenly, Cabe and Ralph walked through the door. Ralph immediately went to Walter's side and Cabe circled around the group and stood between Happy and Sylvester. Walter ruffled the boy's hair to keep himself distracted from the urge to punch a wall.

"What is that?" Sylvester asked as everyone returned their attentions to the device. "It looks like a small walkie-talkie."

"It's not," Cabe took off his sunglasses, "It's a baby monitor."

"Can I have a sec, Walter?" Toby muttered before pulling the 197 IQ genius away from the group without waiting for his response. When they were out of earshot, Toby mumbled, "You think it's a coincidence that Mark would choose a baby monitor of all things to screw up our transmitter?"

"I don't know," Walter had wondered that too. What if Collins found out about the pregnancy? If he had threatened their unborn child in any way, it would be quite the incentive to send Paige away from the garage.

"Perhaps it's best to tell everyone."

"No." Walter shook his head and didn't have anything more to discuss so he rejoined the group with Toby in tow. Walter turned off the baby monitor and raked his hand through his hair. "Mark figured out we were transmitting high-pitched radio frequencies from the garage and must have been waiting for the perfect opportunity to sneak this baby monitor inside our office. He most likely paid the pizza guy off."

"Baby monitors are designed to stay on for an average of six hours after being charged; not only would the baby monitor's frequency interfere with our frequency transmitter, but it would give Collins a reasonable window of time to listen in on our conversations and figure out how to strike next." Happy frowned and slammed her fist against her desk. "So if Collins got to Paige, he most likely found something juicy and used it to lure her out of the garage."

"B-but what could he have found out?" Sylvester wiped his sweaty hands on his shirt, "I mean, what sort of information would convince Paige to leave Scorpion unprotected? She knew she wasn't allowed to leave the garage without one of us – and what about the gun she registered for?" Sylvester gulped, "W-why not t-take it with her?"

"As weird as this sounds," Cabe patted Walter's back as if he were trying to calm the genius down. It wasn't helping. "I think it was smart for Paige to leave unarmed. We don't know what sorts of weapons Mark Collins has in his possession. Mark Collins is a smart cookie - he'll do anything he can to keep himself from being incriminated for the crimes he has committed; had Paige brought her sidearm, it would be too easy for Mark Collins to cover things up with suicide." Cabe then looked at Walter who looked like he was going to explode; Ralph was slightly trembling with fear. "Theories aside, we're going to get him, and we'll save Paige too."

"H-how do we e-even know Mark has her?" Sylvester stammered as he made eye contact with Walter.

"We're about to find out," Happy suddenly raced her to her desk. She tapped on several keys and streamed her screen onto the TV screen for everyone to see her desktop. "I've hacked into the security camera from across the street; if Paige left the garage and was encountered by Mark Collins, the feed would have picked it up. Ralph, what time was the text sent?"

Ralph pulled out his phone and examined the screen. Walter looked over Ralph's shoulder and skimmed over the text message; he couldn't make sense of the message – understanding shorthand was never one of his strengths. And he knew it wouldn't be Ralph's either – especially since their brains were wired in the same way. "4:38 PM."

"Okay. I'll start the feed around 4:35." Everyone kept their attention towards the timestamp. "There's Paige!" Happy exclaimed as she played the feed. Paige was slowly walking out of the garage and had turned the corner. Luckily the camera angle was able to capture the garage at both angles. Sylvester quietly walked over towards Ralph and covered the boy's eyes; Ralph objected, but Walter thought it was a good idea too so the young genius calmed down and heaved a loud sigh. Paige suddenly stopped and then turned quickly around. When Walter saw a figure grab her hair and yank her downward, he nearly lost it.

"That has to be Collins!" Walter walked up to the monitor and pointed to the fuzzy figure on the screen.

"Well, now that we have proof that Mark Collins abducted Paige, I can call it in." Cabe said as he pulled out his phone. Toby, however stopped him. "What's the meaning of this, doc?"

"Paige might be safer if we leave the shields out of it." Toby looked at Walter and then back at Cabe. "Think about it, Mark Collins specializes in radio chatter; if we have an APB out on him, he'll find out, and then he'll change tactics. Everything is personal to Mark Collins; so maybe it's time we give him the attention he deserves."

"What're you saying, doc? Let him back on the team?" Happy wasn't convinced. Neither was Walter nor Sylvester.

"No. Of course not. What we need to do is make Mark think he's winning the game. Remember, everything is just a game to him. He needs to feel like he's winning; every time we get closer to him, he ups his game; he's not going to stop increasing the challenge until he's satisfied with his results. That being said, I think we should let him think Walter's still down the Rabbit Hole. He's been too busy apprehending Paige to probably realize Walt's out of hibernation – that might give us an advantage."

Walter frowned and rested his palm on Ralph's shoulder. "That's not an option."

"It might be the only option, Walt." Toby challenged the 197 IQ genius as Sylvester lead Ralph away from the discussion. "Mark Collins has one big fat god complex on his shoulders, and his compulsive behavior thirsts for success. We need him to think he's won. If he thinks you're still a babbling veggie-head, he'll get cocky pretty quickly. He'll think he has won the game."

"No." Walter shook his head. "Paige's life is at stake here. I won't do it."

"Walt-"

"I said I'm not doing it! That's final!" Walter through his hands up into the air. "You know there's more at risk than just Paige's life, Toby." Walter gave the shrink a warning glare. "I've made up my mind."

"Walt's right, doc." Happy circled around her desk and placed her palm on Toby's shoulder. "If we let Mark believe he's won the game, he might not see a use for Paige anymore. We need to find a way to make him keep thinking he needs Paige alive for his stupid schemes. Think about it, what does Collins want more than anything?"

"A spot on the team," Toby shrugged.

"Think again." Happy stated quickly.

Toby frowned and ran his hand through his hair. "He's made it clear he wants Paige out of the picture." Then his eyes popped open. "And what better way to take out two birds with one stone than to kill her in front of Walter?!" Walter's ears perked to Toby's response. "Think about it! Mark wants nothing more than to prove to Walter he's worthy of the team, and since he hasn't been able to do that accurately – hence the nuclear power plant debacle – he probably wants to permanently send Walter down the Rabbit Hole. Paige is no doubt Walter's strongest emotional connection in his life, excluding his sister, of course.

"If Collins removes Walter's strongest emotional connection in front of him, it will most certainly send Walter into a permanent catatonic state. His EQ will overdrive to a point where Walt won't be able to compute anything going on inside his mind." Toby then looked at Walter, "Your brain, as you know, cannot comprehend EQ very well. Sending your brain on an extreme overdrive of EQ will be like sending you the ultimate Rabbit Hole inducer. You think those encryptions Mark sent were challenging to crack, but since you can't apprehend EQ, your highly inclined IQ will try to make sense of something you're not equipped for. Think of it as a hamster running on a hamster wheel but doesn't know how to get off of it. He'll keep running and running and running until he eventually shuts down from fatigue. In this case, your mind will keep running until your body shuts down. That is what Mark Collins must be aiming for."

Walter closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Then let's make sure Mark's plan never comes to that scenario." Without another word, Walter pushed past Toby and headed for his desk. He sat down and heaved a loud sigh, remembering the microchip he found amongst Paige's damaged phone. Cabe walked up to him and folded his arms in front of his chest. Walter looked up to meet the stern man's gaze. "What?"

"Like to tell me what's going on?" Cabe lifted an eyebrow and tapped his foot. "I know you just returned from Wonderland, and I also know Mark Collins has kidnapped your girlfriend, but you seem to be emitting a lot more EQ today than usual. I don't know if it's because of Paige's capture, or if it's something else, but I couldn't help but notice how agitated you seem."

"I'm fine." Walter deadpanned as he turned on his computer.

"If everything's fine, why did you tell Toby there's more at stake than Paige's life a few minutes ago?" Leave it to the agent to pick up on subtle clues during an intense conversation. "What do you and the doc know that I don't."

"It's nothing," Walter tried to brush it off. The fewer people who know, the better.

"Son," Cabe circled around Walter's desk and rested his hand on the genius's shoulder. "Clearly it's not nothing, and clearly, you are bothered by something more than just your girlfriend's disappearance. You're usually good at keeping your emotions at bay and focusing on your job; that hardly seems to be the case today. Either you're going to tell me what's going on, or I'll force it out of the doc. Secrets don't hold well over me, and if whatever bit of information you're hiding is prudent to the case, I need to know about it." Walter propped his elbows on his desk and buried his hair within his hands. He stared at the wood in front of him and inhaled a deep breath of air before exhaling it slowly. "What's going on, Walter?" Walter knew there was no point in hiding the truth from Cabe. The agent would figure it out eventually, and he wouldn't put it past the man to resort to drastic measures in order to pull the information out of Toby. He spoke softly. "Come again?" Walter heaved another sigh and lifted his head from his hands. He stared at his computer and muttered his answer once more. "Son, I can't hear a damn thing you're sayin'. Speak up!"

Walter rose to his feet and slammed his fists against his desk as he shouted, "I said Paige is pregnant, dammit!" Five pairs of eyes locked in on him. He immediately scratched his ear, clammed up, grabbed his laptop and anything he might need for his analysis of the microchip and scrambled to his bedroom without saying another word.

~ SCORPION ~

Paige groaned as her eyes fluttered open to a dark room. She pressed her cuffed hands against the side of her forehead; it was warm and sticky, and it burned like crazy. Her ankles were cuffed to the chair on which she was sitting. She remembered seeing Mark Collins down the alley, and she remembered turning to run away from him. She felt the forceful tug as he grabbed her hair and forced her downward. The memory of smacking her head against the concrete made her wince. Then, panic arose within her, and she immediately placed her palm against her lower abdomen, praying nothing had happened to her baby.

"You can relax," a familiar, unwanted voice echoed from behind her. She was afraid to turn around. "Your growing goblin is still intact…. For now at least."

"W-what do you w-want with…," Paige found herself saying with a dry, shaky voice, "w-with me?"

"Don't worry," Mark chuckled; she could feel his breath slithering down the back of her neck. She froze when his large, clammy palms wrapped around her throat. "You'll find out, soon enough." Paige inhaled short breaths and tried her hardest to hide her fear. Mark chuckled. "I can see why Walter would be attracted to you; you have soft skin. He's a sucker for soft skin, Paige. You're just one of his targets – you fit the profile perfectly. Smooth skin, plump lips, soft brown hair…. You're quite the package deal, aren't you?"

She closed her eyes and reminded herself that Mark Collins was nothing but a container for lies and mind games. She swallowed the lump in her throat. "G-get away from me!"

"It would be so easy for me to end your life right here and now. All I would have to do is squeeze hard enough and watch the magic happen." Paige felt the man's breath scrape against her ear as he brought his lips closer. "It is tempting, you know? To end your misery right now while it literally lies within the palms of my hands." His hands traveled to her upper arms. "But," he squeezed her arms as hard as he could. She clenched her teeth. "But I am one for challenges, Paige Dineen. I know Walter O'Brien will do whatever he has to in order to find you and bring you home safely – even if it means breaking the law. I'll give him a few days and allow his desperation to fester, and when he least expects it, I will contact him and give him an ultimatum he won't be able to refuse. And right after I have him in my grasp, I will kill you and your unborn child right in front of him. He will spiral into a world of darkness – a world far worse than the Rabbit Hole. When Walter was in the Rabbit Hole, he could function to an extent. However, when I'm through with him, the effects will be permanent, and the team will have no choice but to send him to a mental facility. And with time, he will gradually deplete and will be rendered useless to the world."

Paige's heart fell as Mark Collins delivered his plan to her; she had a way to persuade him to reconsider. She gulped and muttered, "Y-you're r-right…." It pained her to lie about her relationship with Walter, but if she could save him, she would. "I'm n-nothing but a p-pastime f-for Walter…. I kn-know that…. I've a-always known that…," she closed her eyes and released a deep breath of air she didn't' know she had been holding. "H-he sees n-nothing in me…, and i-it's time I m-move on. Let me g-go, and I w-will never return to Scorpion. Let me go, and I promise the w-walk the other way." She blinked back her tears. "I pr-promise."

Mark laughed and then screamed, "SHUT UP!" as he smacked her cheek as hard as he could. She tried her hardest not to cry as she bit her lip and waited for another strike. It did not come. "Don't insult me, you filthy bitch! This is my game, and you're going to play by my fucking rules!" He dragged his feet as he circled around her and knocked various items onto the floor. Then he came up behind her and forcibly gagged her mouth with taut material; Paige felt like the corners of her lips were being cut with wire as the material painfully pulled her lips back. He grabbed her face with one of his hands and dug his fingers into her skin. "If you value the life of your fucking fetus, I suggest you be a good little girl and do as I say. Are we clear?" Paige felt sick to her stomach but didn't answer Mark Collins's question. He tightened his grip on her face and pulled out a switchblade. He clicked it open and pressed the dull side of the blade against her belly. "ARE WE CLEAR?!" She immediately nodded as tears spilled from her eyes. "Good." He moved away from her and started walking away when he stopped dead in his tracks, turned around, circled around her and then tied another taut strand of material over her eyes. "There."

He walked away….

A door slammed shut….

She was alone in darkness….

And she was frightened.

~ SCORPION ~

Walter marched into the small kitchen of the loft, grabbed the nearest coffee mug and hurled it at the wall. It shattered into several pieces. He reached for another. And another. Even though breaking things usually helped him calm down, it didn't seem to help this time. His emotions were everywhere, and the fact that Paige was lured into one of Mark's traps while he was in the Rabbit Hole angered him to no end. He promised himself he would never go back down there, but once again, Mark Collins bested him. He didn't even know if Paige was still alive.

"You need to simmer down, kid," Cabe frowned as he ascended the stairs and approached a fuming Walter, "Breaking things ain't gonna do Paige any favors."

"Neither is talking so leave me alone," Walter snapped and grabbed another coffee mug. Cabe circled around Walter and placed his hand on the mug before Walter could throw it. "I suggest you get out of my way and let me do what I want."

"Not in this lifetime," Cabe snatched the mug away from Walter and collected the other crockeries before Walter could seize another one and destroy it. Walter tried to get past him and reach for a mug, but Cabe grabbed his shoulders and stopped him from moving forward. "Kid, I know you freeze up and feel worthless when your friends are in trouble, but you need to cool your jets and let that 197 IQ of yours do its magic. I may not be a genius, but I know Collins's type. If he wanted Paige dead, he would have killed her on the spot. You and I both saw that video; he didn't kill her. He apprehended her; she's apparently useful to him, and he'll keep her alive as long as the status quo doesn't change until he wants to change it."

"He could change it at any time, Cabe," Walter's nose flared as he struggled to free himself from Cabe's strong grip.

"Yes. He could." Cabe nodded.

"Then why are you still standing here?"

"Humor me," Cabe did not release Walter's shoulders. "You love Paige, right?" Walter didn't answer, but his facial expression spoke volumes to Cabe. "I may not be a shrink, but based on the way your eyes are about to water and on the fact that you're practically quivering with emotion, I'm gonna go with a yes."

"Get to the point."

"Flip the situation in reverse, Walter. What would Paige do if you were the one apprehended by Collins?" Cabe asked as he loosened his grip on Walter's shoulders. "Would she stand here acting like a five year old and throw every single piece of crockery this building has to offer?"

Walter thought about the times Paige had been worried for the team. When she had first joined Scorpion, there had been several instances where she claimed she had faith in the team, and believed everything would work out for the better. When something went wrong, she continued having faith even when everyone else didn't (despite the fact that four of the members of Scorpion didn't believe in silly superstitions like faith). "If the situation was reversed," Walter felt a little calmer and decided it would be best to emulate Paige in order to reach for clarity…. Paige always provided clarity even if her insight seemed illogical at times. "Paige would stay strong and would have faith in the team."

"Exactly…," Cabe patted Walter's back and smiled, "so do the mother of your child proud and show Mark Collins what Scorpion is made of."

Cabe started heading for the stairs when the memories of the conversation Walter had overheard from the microchip flooded back into his mind. He knew! Mark Collins knew about the baby, and there's no telling what Paige might be going through in order to protect their child. He understood why she agreed to leave; if he was in her position and Mark Collins had threatened to harm Ralph, Paige or any member of Scorpion, Walter would have left too. Scorpion was supposed to be a safe place for the mentally enabled, and Walter would protect his company and his assets in a heartbeat.

The emotions tied with the reality that Walter had fathered a child were finally catching up to his IQ-inclined brain, and for the first time in a very long time, he felt weak at the knees. Paige was pregnant with his child. He always feared the possibility of fathering children because he wasn't the best person when it came to establishing connections, and he didn't think it would be fair to future children if he couldn't connect with them. Once, he had disclosed that fear to Paige, and she simply told him that one day, if they decided they wanted children (she never mentioned marriage, but he had a feeling she wanted that possibility to be part of their future too), she would help him connect with their future children had they produced a child or a few children with average IQ levels. Just as he translates Ralph for her, she promised she would one day do the same for him if needed. Little did either of them know, those days were approaching sooner than they ever realized.

Paige… pregnant with his child…, was enduring whatever Mark Collins was doing to her. He knew she would protect their child with everything she had; she'd do the same for Ralph as he would too. Paige and his child were both at the mercy of Mark Collins, and that crazy psychopath could remove them from Walter's life in an instant.

And then the strongest realization sent him to his knees.

Walter O'Brien was going to be a father.

His eyes widened. "Oh god…."

"What's the matter, Walt?" Cabe wheeled back around and found Walter on the ground, gripping the edge of the counter as everything EQ-related he had learned in the last few hours washed over him all at once.

Walter gulped and then gave Cabe the sincerest gaze he had ever given anyone who wasn't Paige or Ralph. He inhaled a deep breath and let it out slowly before raking a hand through his unruly hair. "Mark Collins," his voice quivered with fear, "Mark Collins knows."

"Damn," Cabe closed his eyes and heaved a sigh. He knelt beside Walter. "Are you sure?"

"Yes." Walter answered quickly. The amount of EQ washing over him was almost too much for him to bear. He felt like he was going to throw up.

"We'll get them back, kid. Both of them." Cabe patted Walter's shoulder and started to rise upward. Walter grabbed Cabe's arm. He didn't know if his sudden action was because he was desperate, afraid or if it was due to the volumes of new emotions swirling inside him. Perhaps it was because Cabe was like a father to him, and he, too, was going to be a father. He didn't know. He didn't really care at the time he grabbed Cabe's wrist. He only cared for two things, and one of them had a lot to do with Mark Collins's impending demise. The other was obvious. "What is it, son?" Cabe's eyes softened.

Walter couldn't find the strength to release Cabe's arm. He found it difficult to speak too. "I c-c-can't," he inhaled a deep breath and let it out slowly. He wasn't aware of the tears threatening to fall from his eyes. He swallowed the lump in his throat. "I c-c-can't l-lose her…." He buried his head in his hands and stared at the ground. Water droplets splattered onto the floor. Paige was his constant; he couldn't lose her. Losing her would be like losing all of his internal organs – he couldn't function without his internal organs. "I can't l-lose her." More water fell. Walter might have, at one time, believed love was only a fairytale, but after everything he's been through with Paige, he learned that love wasn't a myth – it was very real. While he still found it difficult to profess his feelings for Paige to other people, he knew she knew he loved her. That's all that really mattered to him…. And wherever she was, she was carrying their child – and Collins was capable of anything. Walter clutched his hair as he continued staring at the floor. "I c-can't…." He couldn't bring himself to finish his statement.

He felt a palm rest on the back of his neck. "Sometimes," Cabe spoke softly, "We don't have a say in who lives or dies in this world. I didn't when Amanda passed away." He paused, "But let me tell you something, kid." Walter finally met Cabe's sympathetic expression, not aware of the rivulets falling down his cheeks. "Paige. Is. Alive. Mark Collins wants her to get to you; he's not going to kill her. Not yet. That gives you and this whole damn team a window of opportunity to kick Mark's ass and bring Paige and your child home safely. Don't give up hope yet, Walter. You know damn well Paige wouldn't want you to quit. Now she's doing everything on her end to stay alive; I suggest you quit your bellowing, reset and use your goddamn 197 IQ to bring her home. Failure is not an option anymore." Walter inhaled a deep breath and dabbed his eyes with his fingers as he gave Cabe a slight nod. Cabe helped him up to his feet and patted him on the back. "Go wash your face and get your ass downstairs. We ain't stoppin' til we find Mark."

"Okay," Walter stretched his face downward before releasing his skin. Cabe headed down the stairs, and Walter walked into his bathroom to wash his face. The pregnancy tests were still in the sink. He picked them up, stuffed one of them into his pocket and placed the others inside the medicine cabinet before he bent over the sink, turned on the faucet and splashed his face with cold water. He turned the water off, dabbed his skin with a towel and then exited his bathroom, grabbing his equipment along the way.

As he descended the stairs, he inhaled a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Where are we?"

"We have Collins's IP address for his laptop," Happy was the first to answer, "but we haven't been able to locate its location; he's been very good about not connecting to any sort of Wi-Fi."

"Then we give him a reason to get on his computer," Walter replied quickly, acting as though the last ten minutes didn't happen.

"How?" Sylvester looked up from his desk. "Other than the IP address, we have nothing on him."

"Pack up everyone," Walter walked over to his desk to pick a few extra things. "We're going for a ride."

"Might I ask where?" Toby lifted an eyebrow as he slipped his laptop into his satchel.

"We're going to Mark Collins's house." Walter replied without explaining anything further.

"That's a bad, bad idea." Sylvester pumped his hands with sanitizer. "What if it's a trap?"

"Mark Collins knows his house would be the first place the Feds would look for him. It would be the last place he would hide, but that doesn't mean he wouldn't keep tabs on his place. He has radio technology all over his house; if he can hear external chatter from his home, then who is to say he can't bug his own house?" Walter shoved his left hand into his pocket and clamped his fingers around the pregnancy test. "He had to get all of his equipment from somewhere so he probably snuck into his home one day, grabbed what he needed and bugged his place so that he could know when it was or wasn't safe to gather more equipment."

"Walt may be on to something," Toby plopped his hat on top of his head. "A tiger doesn't change his stripes; old habits die hard. Collins is obsessed with radio chatter; it's how he's been able to keep tabs on the military, the government, Scorpion, et cetera. He probably has a place somewhere to where he's slowly migrating his equipment so that he can, for lack of a better phrase, feed his monster."

Happy smirked. "And if we can tap into Collins's feed untraced, we can use his own technology against him and then spy on him for a change."

"Ummm…, I hate to be Mr. Negative, but what if he finds out? He probably has a failsafe, enabling him to shut off everything within his house…. Where will we be then?" Sylvester said as he packed his things.

"Once we've hacked into his feed," Walter found himself smirking as well, "I'll upload my strongest firewall. When Collins was a part of Scorpion, he was never able to hack into it. It's ten times more effective now; even if he tries to hack into it, it could take well up to a month before he's able to decrypt it."

"Uh…. That might just send the bastard to the Rabbit Hole. If I remember correctly, Collins was Psycho 2.0 the last time he took a trip to Wonderland." Toby lifted an eyebrow. "Are you sure you want to do that, Walt?"

Walter considered his options. "Do you have any other ideas?"

"No…." Toby sighed.

"Wait," Happy caused everyone to look at her. "I've got a better idea. Sly, you stay here and man the tracking system that's searching for Collins's IP address. If we purposely find a way to alert Collins that we're at his home, he'll have to shut everything down wirelessly. While most of his technology is freakin' ancient, he would have to have kept up with the tech in order to be one step ahead of Walter. Walter," Happy looked at the 197 IQ genius, "has embraced wireless technology unlike Collins; however, what better way to outsmart your enemy than to out-tech him too? I think Collins has been waiting for Walter to return to his former HQ just so he can show him up and frustrate Walter by shutting everything down from a distance. Showing up at Collins's house would give him a reason to tap into a wireless connection and shut his entire satellite down."

"Oh!" Sylvester exclaimed. "And even if he does shut everything down, his IP address will ping on our system, and we'll then have his location!"

"Exactly." Happy grinned, giving Sylvester a high five.

"Let's do it," Cabe gave everyone a thumb's up. "While you geniuses figure out a way to piss Mark off, I'll have SWAT on standby. Once we have Mark's location, I'm not taking any chances; he's a flight risk."

Walter pointed towards the front door. "What are we waiting here for, let's go!"

~ SCORPION ~

WriterFreak001:

Now that Walter's back in the game (pun intended), do you think his plan will work? Or, will Collins find out about their plan and bypass it somehow?

Hmmm…. so many questions!

Sorry if Walter was OOC during his overdriven EQ moment with Cabe…. We haven't really seen Walter cry onscreen yet, but I don't think he's a robot. If given a strong incentive (something that would push Walter's EQ overboard), I have a feeling he would cry. He might not understand the emotions involved with the tears, but crying is a natural response; it might take a lot of umph to make Walter cry, but I don't think he's impervious to it.

Anyway, let me know what you think! I had not intended for this chapter to be so long!