Chapter five:

Isabella stared at the stunning blonde that stood in her doorway, 'Please. If you could give me twenty minutes of your time, I'd appreciate it...'

'What's this about?' She asked shortly, it was 7am on a Sunday. She didn't appreciate losing sleep.

'Peter Bishop.' Something changed in the brunette on hearing his name. Olivia watched as her cool demeanour softened to something much more gentle.

'Did Robert find him?' She asked the FBI agent.

The concern for Peter in Isabella's voice made Olivia shift uncomfortably, 'Yeah...do you have any idea what he's going to do with Peter or where he's keeping him?'

'How do you know Peter...?' the woman asked.

'We work together.'

Isabella studied her carefully, Olivia felt as though she was being read under the woman's inspective gaze.

'Peter has a way of becoming more than just colleagues when he works with women...'

'I don't doubt that.' Olivia said politely, who did this woman think she was?

'I just need your help...'

'Need? Are you lying to me about the proximity in which you and Peter work together?'

Olivia scoffed, Give me a break woman.

'I'm not here to discuss Peter and I. We're just colleagues. That's all.'

Olivia suddenly realised what the woman's problem was, she wanted to know if she should be jealous of Peter and Olivia.

'Please help me...' she asked sincerely, letting the desperation in her voice reach Isabella's ears.

'Boston only has one Research Facility that contains the equipment my father would need to perform his work on Peter.'

'His work?'

'Walter Bishop's findings on extrasensory abilities enabled my father to create his own theories on the topic. Peter is special Olivia...His ability to read people is above average, the speed with which he can process data is impressive. We needed someone smart as well as observant for our experiment.'

'Our?' Olivia asked.

'It was ours, until I thought my father was being too risky. He planned on pushing Peter until he got results.'

'So what happened?'

'I broke Peter out, he escaped. He never forgave me-but he escaped.' She said with a bittersweet smile, 'My father and I are no longer on talking terms.' Isabella waked over to a drawer and rifled through it's contents.

'I suggest you find him sooner than later-here,' she said, turning to face Olivia, she handed the FBI agent her card. 'this pass will let you into the laboratory without any trouble from security. If they ask any questions, say your with Massive Dynamics.'

Olivia stared at her, if Massive Dynamics or the FBI discovered Peter's abilities, they'd take him in and test him like a lab-rat.

'How long ago was Peter taken?'

'46hours ago...'

'Then you should hurry before he's put in the tank.'

Olivia looked at her, prompting her to explain further.

'Out of all of his subjects, Peter's the only one that's still alive. None of them survived the tank. Robert kept lowering their heart rate to a point where the brain would panic and release a surplus amount of electromagnetic impulses-but the point at which that occurs is simply too close to death.'

Olivia felt her heart thump in her chest, 'what if we're too late?'

'I hope you got to say goodbye.' Isabella said, Olivia climbed to her feet.

'I'll save him before that...' She said simply.

'Oh, Agent Dunhem?'

Olivia glanced at Isabella, who smiled softly, 'when you save him, tell him I send my love.'

Olivia studied her, turning on her heel, she walked out of the house.

FBI Building:

'Agent Dunhem-listen to yourself-' Broyles said firmly, 'you want to be sent in ALONE. That means WITHOUT backup.'

'I know what it means.' Olivia said, she also knew that Broyles discovered Peter's apparent abilities, he would lock Peter away.

'Is there something you're not telling me Agent Dunhem?'

'No sir.' Olivia said, staring him straight in the eyes.

'Is that all?' Broyles asked, Olivia nodded, she turned and headed for the door.

'Agent Dunhem.' He said calmly as he pulled open a draw, 'This gun isn't registered.' He handed it her, 'In case anything happens.'

'Thank you.' She said sincerely, it felt good to have someone covering her back.

Broyles watched her go, pondering on whether trusting her was a wise decision.

Peter shivered violently as his body was thrust into a tub of ice-cold water, all the pain from the past few days of torture came to the surface, he could finally hear his own screams. The feeling of his slacks against his cold, near frozen skin shook his whole body violently. He could feel his systems shutting down. He blinked rapidly, he was still blindfolded and couldn't see a thing.

'Calm down Peter. Relax.'

'SCREW YOU!'

Peter yelled angrily, he immediately groaned in agony, his head throbbed and his throat was dry. His muscles ached at the burning cold.

'Calm DOWN. I'd rather not sedate you. Just relax...'

Peter realised quickly that he had no choice but to do as Robert wished. He tried to control his rapid breathing, slowing it down to lower his heartbeat. He closed his eyes, and breathed slowly, he could hear his heart slowing down by the second. A freezing numbness overtook his body as he ached for warmth.

Sensors attached to his temporal lobes and parietal lobe, Peter lay deathly still in the cold water. Letting his mind fall into a state of exhaustion and defeat.

The jolt of an electric current made Peter shake rapidly in the tank.

'Phase 3...I'm monitoring your beta waves...' Robert's voice said.

The entrance of the research facility:

Olivia entered the facility, she rang Astrid, 'I need you to bring Walter...Isabella said something about a tank.'

'Okay, we're on our way.'

She hung up and scouted the surroundings, research scientists worked casually, unaffected by her presence. They assumed that if she had gotten past the gates, she was allowed to be inside.

Olivia headed straight down the hallway, her instincts driving her. Without knowing, she knew exactly where he was in the building.

Olivia descended the stairs, her heart pounding in her chest.

Walter and Astrid pulled up outside the building.

'This is Robert's place? He did well...' Walter said observantly to Astrid, he seemed to have forgotten momentarily that Robert Markus had his son.

Peter stared at the maroon sky above him, he turned on his heel as he saw several items that he didn't know he remembered. A toy car, a child laughing, a large shadow standing over a crying child. He turned around again to see a kayak.

What the hell...? Peter thought to himself.

'Peter...' Agent Scott appeared behind him, Peter turned around again.

'Where are we?'

'In your mind...'

'What are you doing here?'

'Watching...'

Peter frowned as he approached Agent Scott, Agent Scott turned to his left and stared at a blurry image, as Peter focused on the image it became clear. He and Agent Scott were staring at Olivia and Peter smiling, then Peter watching Olivia walk to her car.

Peter noticed the surroundings feel warm, safe, content for a moment, until Olivia's image vanished.

'PETER!' a man roared, Peter and John looked ahead of them to see a man standing over a cowering mother and child.

'Get OUT of my way boy!' An infuriated Walter yelled at him.

'NO! Leave her alone!' Peter yelled bravely, only to be slapped by his father.

'Leave her alone...' Peter whispered in the tank, he began to feel tired.

Robert glanced at the monitor, 'NO...NO...' Peter's body was failing. 'You were meant to be SPECIAL!' he yelled angrily at the tank. His last subject was dying on him.

Olivia burst through the doors, 'BACK OFF!' she yelled, Robert backed away from the tank, Olivia had a look of determination in her eyes as she pointed the gun at him.

'Wait...he's dying...' Robert said, 'he wasn't meant to die! He was perfect for the trial!'

'Open the tank!' She ordered, Peter wasn't dying. Not on her watch.

'OPEN IT!' she ordered him, Robert opened the tank, revealing a deathly pale Peter.

Tears filled her eyes, 'Peter!?' She ran to his side, he didn't respond.

'Peter...!' Olivia's voice beckoned him in his mind, he turned around, seeing her reaching out to him, touching his face so tenderly, and for an instant, Peter could feel her warmth on his cheek. John watched as she worried over Peter. Peter frowned as she and John rippled and vanished. The world he was in began to darken, the maroon sky's warmth began cooling rapidly, he squinted in the dark.

'NO!...WHAT'S HAPPENING!?' Yelled, terrified and confused. A stab of pain arose from his heart, it was as though he was suffocating, but he was breathing in his imagination. He clutched his chest and closed his eyes, he buckled to his knees.

'AAARgh!'

In the facility: Olivia turned around, grabbing Robert by the collar, she slammed him into a piece of machinery and hand cuffed him to a pipe. He wasn't going anywhere.

She ran to the tank, ready to pull Peter out of the freezing water-

'WAIT-!' Walter's voice bellowed, 'don't touch him, if you pull him out now-he'll die!' the scientist explained, 'we need a defibrillator.'

'It'll electrocute him-'

'No-not a physical one, a psychological one-we need to get into his subconscious and give his heart a beat to follow, so he thinks its his own, then his heart will automatically beat to the provided beat, effectively acting as a biological defibrillator...his heart needs a cue to follow-I'll go in to the fellow tank-'

He said as he nodded at the empty tank besides Peter's.

'No. You're too valuable. I'll do it.' Olivia said, she turned to Astrid, 'what do we need?'

'We've got everything,' Astrid said.

'Brilliant.' Walter said enthusiastically, 'let's save a life shall we?' The scientist had a passion in his eyes that randomly arose during his experiments.

Olivia began unbuttoning her shirt, Astrid turned to Olivia, 'I'll take Markus.' She said, uncuffing him from the pipe and leading him out of the room.

Walter turned on the second monitor, whilst his eyes read the readings on the first monitor.

'The subject's heart beat has nearly come to a stop...you have to let it stop completely before stimulating it again...'

Nodding to the instructions, Olivia cautiously lowered herself into the tub, shivering as the cold pain spread through her limbs. She knew how much Peter would hate that she risked her life again for him, but she had to do it. She didn't know if she was ready to see his world, but time wasn't something she had. Walter placed the sensors on her head, she closed her eyes, letting her body calm down and be still within the water.

Monitor One flat-lined just as Olivia awoke within another reality.

Her world and what she could only assume was Peter's, seemed entwined, her navy skies were merged amongst his darkened maroon sky, her uncle's Kayak hovered in mid air, she saw young Olivia giggling with her mother. She turned around to see a boy being beaten, she looked away against her will, she knew these were Peter's memories. Peter lay on the ground, scarily still. His green eyes fluttering shut. Olivia ran to his side, 'Peter!'

'Olivia...' she heard him say her name, but didn't see his lips move.

'Don't let me die,' his whispers echoed in the world around her. She stared at his still body as a new fear moved through her, tears fell from her eyes.

'I have to let you die so I can save you,' she said firmly as she cupped his face, 'Peter...?'

He was dying in her arms, she could feel his cold skin against hers, her heart felt as though it was tearing in two as she watched in shock. Words failed to describe what she felt at that moment. The idea of losing a man she didn't think she was that close too tore her apart. John Scott, the pattern, the engagement ring, none of it mattered, all that mattered was saving Peter. Who lay dying in her arms. She had no idea where the raw passion to save him had come from, nor did she care to understand.

'It's gonna be okay...'

John Scott watched Olivia, who didn't even sense his presence anymore. He smiled sadly, she had unknowingly moved on. She was no longer holding onto John, despite his loss, John felt a weight had been lifted from his shoulders as he gazed at the woman he was never meant to have. He stood over her and Peter, Peter could sense him, but was too weak to move. Olivia cupped Peter's face, forcing him to open his eyes, Peter's eyes opened, but they landed past her shoulder as he met John's stare.

'Peter...?' Olivia turned to see what Peter was looking at, but all she saw was an empty space, she turned back around to see Peter's head fall limp. He was dead, she almost felt sick as she stared down at him, dread flooded through her veins.

'Walter...! Now what do I do??!'

Walter walked over to the monitor, 'Stay calm, just stay calm...'

'His body's so cold...' she murmured from the tank.

Walter walked over to his son, 'just stay close to him. And in a few moments his mind should detect the presence of another electromagnetic field and synchronise. When his eyes open, you need to get out of there...He'll have a trace to follow back to the conscious world...'

Olivia nodded as she held Peter's limp body in her arms, 'stay with me, come on...' she urged, 'come on Peter...' her warmth began to spread through him.

Walter watched as Monitor One began to synchronise with Monitor two's electromagnetic pulse. He smiled slightly at the intensity of the pulls on the screen when the two combined, he cocked an eyebrow at it.

His son had a way with women afterall.

Peter jolted awake, his lungs burning for air as he breathed in deeply, 'Olivia??' his expression was confused, she had a look of relief on her face as tears streamed down her cheeks. She gave him a small smile, Peter noticed the way she began to dissolve into thin air.

'Olivia, wait!'

Olivia jolted awake in the tank, Walter handed her clothes to her, which she climbed into, 'Now we wait.' He said calmly as he ate an apple.

Olivia blinked at the apple for a moment, she decided not to comment as she refocused her attention on Peter, she stood besides the tank he was in, 'Here...' Walter handed her a towel for Peter.

'Thanks.' She said softly, her eyes never left Peter's.

Peter suddenly jolted upwards in the tank, spluttering, he wheezed deeply, letting cool air inflate his lungs, Olivia pulled of his blindfold, he immediately hugged her tightly. Olivia hugged him back, holding him close. He closed his eyes for a moment as he came to grips with what had happened over the past few days.

Astrid walked in to see Walter with a smile on his face, he was eating an apple and watching Peter and Olivia in an embrace.

Olivia suddenly became aware that they weren't alone, she pulled away, embarrassed by the surprisingly intimate reunion. Peter smiled at her, she returned the smile whilst handing him the towel.

'Welcome back.' She said, Peter gazed at her, he didn't care how uncomfortable she felt under his gaze, he had almost died and she had bought him back.

Olivia's cheeks reddened, 'What?'

Peter shook his head, 'I'm just glad to see you.' He said casually with a small smile.

'It's mutual.'

Walter approached Peter, the father's arms were wide open.

Peter climbed to his feet, not even making eye contact with him, he walked straight past Walter, leaving the elderly man disheartened.

'Peter...?' he said weakly, 'Son...?'

Peter clenched his jaw, 'don't call me son.' He said, glaring at Walter.

Olivia's heart sank in her chest, Peter hadn't seen how alarmed Walter had been when he discovered Peter had been taken, all Peter knew at that moment was that his father was the reason Markus was after him.

'But Peter-' Walter said gently.

Peter walked straight upto him, staring him down, 'I know why I don't remember much from before I was 10.'

Walter studied him.

'You experimented on me. You screwed with my head. Don't ever call me son.'

Peter said bitterly as he put the towel down, Olivia walked over to him.

'Peter...-' she said with a sigh, not letting her finish he quickly said, 'I wanna see Robert.'

Olivia nodded, he's in the hallway, handcuffed to a pipe.

Peter stormed into the hallway, Olivia ran after him.

Peter didn't care that he was freezing cold, he didn't care that his muscles throbbed, he just wanted to punch the bastard in the face.

Robert looked up at Peter, his eye slit up, 'you survived?'

Peter punched him in the face, hearing a satisfying crack.

'Arg! My nose!'

'PETER!' Olivia yelled at him, but he punched him again, this time in the stomach.

'Hey! That's enough!'

Peter seethed at Olivia, 'He almost killed me!'

'I know!' she yelled back at him, the tenderness in her tone made his expression soften, 'I know...' she said softly.

Peter held her gaze, Olivia handed him some papers.

'What are these?'

'Your files. Including Markus's additions.'

'You read them?'

Olivia nodded, Peter fell silent, she touched his arm.

'I'm sorry about your mother-'

'I don't need your sympathy.'

Olivia looked flustered for a moment, she regained her composure, if he wants to act like I didn't see the way he was gazing at me back there, fine.

'Isabella sends her love.'

'Tell her to keep it.' Peter said dismissively, Olivia stared at him, what just happened? Why did he have a problem with Olivia knowing about his past...?

'Wait...' she said as he began to walk away, 'where are you going?'

'To get some dinner.'

'I'm coming too.'

'I don't need company.'

'I don't care.' She replied shortly.

Peter glanced at the stubborn woman who walked shoulder to shoulder with him.

'I don't know alot of places that serve guys without a shirt...' she hinted.

Peter smirked, 'I know a few.'

Olivia smiled as she shook her head.

End chapter five: