Walker's Residence

The first thing that greeted Walker as he awoke from his nap was a sense of grogginess. It took him several seconds to figure out what had happened to him and why he was laying on his back. He must have fallen asleep, which meant he was out for over an hour. Very slowly he sat up to see John on the rocker reading a story to Ray. His youngest son glanced up, gave Walker that grin of his and jumped down off of John's lap.

"Dad!" He tackled Walker with a hug. "Preschool was great! Just wish I could have stayed longer." He said with a pout.

"I'm sure you will tomorrow." He hugged his son then turned his attention to John. "Where did Mike go?"

John stood up and stretched. "Talking to Trivette and Billings on the front porch. How you feeling? You look worn out."

"It's the meds." He checked his watch and would have bolted up right if Ray wasn't sitting on his lap. "I'm late for reading classes." He gently lifted Ray off his lap. "John, watch the kids for me. I'm going to have Mike take me this time."

"Sure thing. You know they're safe with me." He went to the front door, cracked it open then said something to the men outside. Soon, Mike appeared in the doorway, his keys dangling in his hand. "Want a ride this time, huh?"

Walker nearly blushed in embarrassment. "Yeah, I'm still kind of groggy from the medication."

"No problem." Mike scooped Ray up into his arms and gave him a big hug. "How's my little man doing today?"

"Awesome! I can count to ten!" Ray held up his hands and began to count for Mike. "See, soon I can count to twenty!"

On the porch Trivette sat on one of the chairs, talking away to Billings about the case and how important it was to put it as priority. So far, Clyde Brookdale has yet to be sentenced for attempted murder all thanks to evidence not matching up to eye witness accounts. It frustrated Trivette to no end how a man like him is able to sit in prison without a worry in the world and his victim has to endure days of medication and therapy just to live a normal life.

Billings sighed heavily as he leaned back into his chair. "I'm not sure if we have a case yet. We'll log it as evidence, put a red flag on it and see if anymore of these notes turn up." He glanced at the front door as Walker came walking out with his two sons. "Man, they look just like him, especially John."

Trivette took a glance that way to see Mike with Ray in his arms and behind him, Walker who appeared rather groggy. It hurt him so much to see his once strong friend so dependent on medication that made him feel absolutely lousy. With the three of them standing so close to each other Trivette could easily see the resemblance in the two men and child. Then John came walking out which sent chills up Trivette's spine. Though he and Mike were identical, John took after Walker more, especially in the face. He was a spitting image of his father. Whereas Mike's face was a bit more square and his build was a tad skinnier then his brother's.

"Going to take dad to therapy. Be back in about three hours." Mike gave Ray a big hug then gently lowered the young boy onto the porch. "Thanks Trivette and Billings for being here."

"No problem. Walker, let me know how it goes. Okay?"

Walker nodded then smiled at his close friend. "Yeah, will do."

He glanced at Walker's face to see the grogginess slowly ebbing away. However, his right eye drooped ever so slightly which always gave him a drugged look. Then there was that scar on the left side of his face which was clearly visible even with the beard. Daily reminders of the attack that nearly cost Walker his life.

Billings shook his head as Walker went to Mike's car. "It's a shame, what happened to him."

"But if Brookdale didn't attack him then he would have never met his sons. No matter how painful it is to say it, it was meant to be." Trivette sighed heavily as he watched Ray run out into the front lawn going after a slow moving box turtle. "I just hope this letter was a joke and nothing more then that."

Two Hours Later

The reading and writing therapy always annoyed Walker, especially since his brain could never keep up with the tasks at hand. As he read the guide, his therapist Terry Mist sat in front of him writing notes and giving him pointers. He stalled out at roughly a fourth grade reading level and may not progress any further. This embarrassed him to know end, especially when his daughter corrected him as he read her stories. And soon Angela will be further along then he was at right now. How will she react to his disability as she got older?

Terry sighed heavily as she smiled at Walker. "It seems that therapy may no longer be needed. You seem to be doing rather well at this reading level. Has it hampered with your life?"

Walker swallowed his pride. "A little bit. When reading a menu or items for my Kickstart program. I always have to have somebody," He sighed heavily as his pride tried to take over. "Whenever I get information in for the Kickstart program I either have to have my wife read it or one of my sons."

"I see. Unfortunately I think that may be your life." She saw Walker's shoulders slump. "You suffered a serious head trauma, one that should have left you dead." She saw his eyes rolling and shook her head. "I know you have heard this many times, but it's true." She sighed heavily then laced her hands on the table top. "For example, I see a woman weekly that was abused by her husband. She suffered the same type of trauma you did. However, unlike you she has problems with math, words, patterns and even has short term memory loss. It's been eight years for her Walker and she still has yet to progress any farther then simple first grade problems."

Walker felt guiltier then ever and he knew that was Terry's intention. He knew he was luckier then most and thanked God every day for it, but the fact that he could barely read always played with his mind. He had graduated high school with honors and attended college, but now he could barely read a children's book. He felt as though there was something terribly wrong with him. He rubbed his face then glanced back down at the book that laid open before him.

"Sara had an idea that might help her out." He read slow so he wouldn't make a mistake. "She will help her bro…ther with the fort. But where would they get the supplies."

"Walker, it's okay." Terry seemed to genuinely feel sorry for Walker. "You've been hiding your emotions for so long. You should let it out someday."

"I'm okay, really." Walker took a deep breath then smiled at Terry. "Thanks though."

Terry jotted down some notes then scooted her chair back. "Have you ever returned to the scene where the attack happened?"

"No." Walker's voice was real low as the thought of going to that alley brought back unwanted memories. "I'm sorry." He cleared his throat and took a deep, shaky breath. "When the time comes for it, I will go back."

An Apartment in Irving, Texas

The paperwork laid strewn all over his dining room table as Jarod Williamson glanced over every minor detail that will help with his job. He was rather surprised to see how much effort Marcellinio put into researching this ex-Texas Ranger's life. But he understood why after a long briefing by the boss. Apparently that Ranger had stumbled upon something six years ago that could put away Marcellinio for life. Thankfully Clyde managed to beat Walker enough to leave him without memory of that day. However, if he did remember chaos will began in the black market community. It seemed the Ranger found out the locations of all of Marcellinio's warehouses and had went to talk to Manny Calone that night, most likely to fish out information.

He took a deep breath then rubbed his hands through his short brown hair. "Where to began." He began to tap the folder in front of him then flipped it open to reread the information on Walker which included an extensive background check. He now knew everything about his victim's past, but he didn't see the point. "Why did you want me to know this Marcellinio?"

After he went through the paperwork for the fifth time he stood to his feet then stretched. He will have to began soon, or the plan will fail. Wonder if this will really work? Messing with a Ranger, especially Walker like he was about to could get him killed. Well, that's the risk he will have to take. Especially since Marcellinio is paying him a good hefty sum to do his job.

He cleared his throat then grabbed his cell phone. "Here goes nothing." He dialed the number given to him and waited patiently for somebody to pick up on the other line. Finally, a voice and it sounded eerily like him. "Hey, this is Isaac Smith. I'm calling for a Cordell Walker."

"This is him. How can I help you?" The tone of Walker's voice told him of his curiosity.

"Well, this may sound a little strange, but I got this number through a friend of mine. You see, I'm adopted and I have this feeling that we may be brothers." He made sure his southern accent was thicker then usual. "I was wondering if we can meet up?"

"My brother? I'm sorry, but I know my parents only had me." Walker sounded almost annoyed.

"I know it sounds strange. Listen, can I at least email ya my picture with my cell number. Then ya can call me back if ya want."

Walker sighed. "Sure. You can send it to my friend's email."

After Jarod jotted down the email of one, Ranger James Trivette he said good-bye then flipped his phone shut. Fantastic, now he'll send a picture of him and wait for the call back. Hopefully his email won't get ignored.

Rehabilitation Center

That was a strange phone call and it came from an unlisted phone number. Why did Walker get a bad vibe from Isaac Smith? He shook his head then returned to his reading drills, his mind not able to concentrate on the tasks at hand. The man had said there was a possibility he might be Walker's brother which seemed so far fetched that he almost laughed. Though he had twin sons without knowing, so having a brother could be possible.

"Hey dad." Mike walked into the room, gave Walker a light hug then sat down next to him. "How's the reading coming along?"

"It's doing okay." Walker rubbed his face then closed the book he had been trying to read for the last thirty minutes which got him an irritated huff from Terry. "I've been reading the last paragraph for twenty minutes." He sighed heavily as he turned to see Mike have a look of disappointment on his face. "Fine. I'll keep reading."

Walker flipped the youth novel back open then began to read the paragraph once again. This time when he got stuck, Mike was there to lend a helping hand. It embarrassed Walker so much to get help with a simple task such as reading, but he had to swallow his pride. No one has made fun of him, at least not to his face. In fact it seemed everybody genuinely cared and helped him out with his disability.

After thirty minutes Terry patted his hand, a sign for him to stop. He took a deep breath then closed the book, thankful that he didn't need to read anymore. Terry jotted down some notes in his folder then flipped open a calendar.

"Okay, we're going to start doing bi-weekly checkups now." Her attention went to Mike. "It'll be up to you guys to keep him in line." She grinned as she took out several workbooks from a filing cabinet behind her and handed them to Walker. "Work on these every day then bring them with you each appointment. Just do a couple of pages a day. And don't forget to read."

"I won't. I promise." Walker shook Terry's hand for a shake then stood up. "You want to go to C.D's?"

Mike nodded. "Sure, let's go." Once outside of Terry's office he turned to Walker with a smile. "So, you got homework now." He handed the youth novel to Walker. "So, what is with the call?"

Walker stepped up to the elevator, pushed the down button then turned to his son. "Some guy saying he's my brother." He shook his head. "He's sending a picture to Trivette's email. Speaking of, I need to let him know." He flipped open his cell phone as he stepped into the elevator. "I want him to look into this guy before I meet him."

Company B

"Yeah, I'm at the Company. Hang on, let me get to my computer." Trivette made his way to his desk and sat into his chair. "Okay, an email with picture…" He sifted through the many emails till he finally found the one he was looking for. "Got it." He clicked it open and leaned back in surprise. "Walker, this guy could be your twin!"

"A resemblance means nothing. Mike, just…" Walker must be talking to his son for a bit, there was a long pause. "Sorry about that. Just look into him. I have a feeling Isaac Smith isn't his real name. Try that new face recognition program the Company got."

"Will do. I'll let you know." Trivette saved the man's picture then opened the face recognition program. "Will you be at C.D.'s for dinner?"

"Sure will. See ya then." After Trivette hung up the phone he quickly went to work on the picture of Isaac Smith. "Come on, something has to come up."

While the program was searching he got up to get a cup of coffee and a muffin. He would once again miss lunch, which would now make it three days in a row. And Erica kept asking him how he was loosing the weight. He chuckled to himself as he snatched up a banana nut muffin from the tray. With his steaming cup of coffee in hand he sat back down at his desk just in time for Billings to pay him a visit with a thick, manila folder. He knew instantly what it was and placed his mug down so he could take the item from Billings.

Billings sat down on the edge of the desk. "What do you got there?"

"A strange man got hold of Walker's cell number and called him." This got his partner to quickly perk up. "He told Walker that he might be his brother and would like to meet up with him." He turned his attention to the computer to see he got a match. "Jackpot!"

Quickly Billings got up to look at the computer screen. "Jarod Williamson, a detective from Galveston, Texas. On non-paid leave for suspicion of evidence tampering. Currently still under investigation with the department along with the Texas Rangers." He shook his head. "It makes no sense why he would contact Walker now."

Trivette had to agree with Billings, this didn't make sense at all. "He either wants something or he's actually telling the truth." He scrolled down to read the information on Williamson. "Says here he lived in an Oklahoma orphanage till the age of four, when he was adopted to a family in El Paso, Texas. Exact date of birth is unknown, but the year is 1953."

"That would make him about two years younger than Walker." Billings leaned down to get a better look. "Man, he could pass as Walker's twin. What if it proves true?"

"Then Walker's life is just full of surprises." He picked up his desk phone. "I'm going to call Galveston PD and see what they have to say about this."

Marcellinio's Warehouse

The room wasn't brightly lit, only had one bare bulb hanging from the low ceiling. In the middle sat a man, tied to a chair with only his boxers on. He has been tortured off and on for nearly three days and has yet to say a word. This irritated Marcellinio who knew the man was an undercover cop sent to bust his ring. He spit out a few sunflower seed shells then shook his head at Gordman, the man who has been interrogated the supposed officer.

"You are for certain he knows nothing?" Gordman nodded as he cleaned his knife with a rag. "Very well, finish him and dump his body where it will be found."

Marcellinio patted Gordman's back as he exited the small room to head towards his office. That would make the fifth possible snitch in less than a year. He spotted Smokes walking down the hall towards him with a few folders in his hands. It took several weeks for him to fully trust Smokes, but even then Marcellinio still had a bad vibe about him. Early on in the hiring Smokes had told him flat-out he was an ex-cop who was being investigated for crimes he didn't comment. Why that would lead him towards a path of crime, Marcellinio would never fully understand.

He stopped Smokes who appeared lost in his own world. "Have you contacted the Ranger?"

Smokes pulled his attention away from the folder he had been reading to look up at Marcellinio. "That I have." He took a deep breath. "What do you want me to do, exactly?"

Marcellinio waved for Smokes to follow him into the office. "Shake things up a bit." He sat down at his desk. "If your plan works out, you'll do some damage. Even though it may be small it'll get the Walkers thinking." He took a drink of his coke as a man walked into the office. "Yes, what is it, Peyton?"

"Update on Calone." Peyton shook his head. "Sir, we have all reasons to believe Calone called Walker that night." He stepped to the desk and laid down an envelope. "Here's some pictures that were taken that night."

Curious Marcellinio quickly ripped open the envelope to take a look at the pictures that were inside. There were only five pictures, but all of them showed Calone talking to Ranger Walker. Wonder who took these pictures, because whoever did needed to be thanked. But why would these turn up now, five years after Walker had the talk? He held up an image which showed Calone showing Walker what appeared to be a map. From what he had heard, Ranger Walker had a photographic memory before Brookdale smashed his head in. So, whatever he had seen that day was still locked inside his damaged brain.

"Get a copy of these pictures, write a note and send it to the Ranger's own personal address." Marcellinio shook his head. "Where's Calone right now? If he talked to Walker, surely he has talked to other officers since then."

Peyton smiled. "He's here right now and has been set up in the room."

"Very well, began extracting information." He turned his attention to Smokes. "This raises the ante. I want Walker here so I can see him slowly die for myself. Take your time, don't want to rush things. More than likely he doesn't remember a thing from that night, but if the Rangers are desperate they could do hypnosis therapy."

Smokes nodded his head. "Right. I'll work that into my plan." He quickly took his phone out of his front pocket. "It's him, excuse me."

Marcellinio glanced at the pictures once again then tapped one in particular. "Walker knows something, but what does he know?" He lifted the picture to get a better look. "What did you tell him, Calone? What do you know Walker?"