I'm so glad you guys have been enjoying this fanfic so far! I just finished the last two chapters, hope you enjoy them! :) xoxo
Over the course of a little over a month, Olivia, Peter, Walter, and Astrid kept Olivia's secret under wraps while Walter spent hours a day in the lab trying to perfect another machine to get them back to the Other Side to save Olivia.
"YES! I'VE GOT IT!" Walter exclaimed aloud one day at the lab, startling everyone there.
"Really?" Astrid asked, excited.
"Yes, yes! I am sure this will work! I've perfected the machinery, it will work just like the machine I used before to get to the Other Side, maybe even better!"
"That's great, Walter!" Peter said. Olivia managed a smile, but said nothing. She really hoped this would work.
Peter, Astrid, Olivia, and Walter set out for the lake (the same one Walter had gone to before) in the van. The lake wasn't frozen because it wasn't winter yet, but Walter was certain that as long as it were close enough, the energy would still be absorbed by the water. The plan was that they would set up the machine. Then, they would open the door to the Other Side. Walter, Peter, and Olivia would cross over, and Astrid would close the door and take the machine back to the lab. They didn't know how long it would take to get Olivia, and they didn't want to risk leaving the machine out there unsupervised, or even leaving Astrid out there alone with it. Walter was sure that Olivia's Cortexiphan effect levels had been heightened due to fear and anxiety, and would be enough to get them back Over Here even without the other Cortexiphan children.
They all got out of the van, and Peter helped Astrid haul the complex machinery out of the van and helped set it up with the help of Olivia and Walter. Once it was all set up, Astrid pushed the button to open the door, and before their eyes, they saw the very fabric of the universe itself tear open right in front of them. "Good luck, troopers!" Astrid said with a smile. She waved goodbye to Olivia. "Nice to meet you, I guess." "You, too." Olivia smiled back. And with that, Astrid watched as her three friends (well, two friends, really) stepped through the window and into another universe. She packed up the machine and drove back to the lab.