A little sooner than the last one….I just felt this week's episode could be incorporated into the Touches, but with some minor adjustments. There are major spoilers in these submissions. So if you have yet to watch, you might want to. So I am breaking it up into two chapters. It is going to follow the episode line fairly closely, just delving more into the Paige/Walter dynamics that I have somewhat established in my previous chapters. The dialogue is pretty close, but there are parts I left out on purpose only to give it some flow to the changes. So I did that on purpose. Just an FYI.
I don't own Scorpion.
Enjoy, Ema
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I will just say it, today was not my finest hour as an adult. I let down Cabe, the team, Paige and the most important, I let down Ralph. I know in my mind, it makes perfect sense for the things I taught Ralph, but they don't have an IQ of 197. It makes sense for me to understand them since they do not have the mentality to understand me and my logic. I digress, but this is what a journal is for, am I right? I hope I did not ruin everything for the team and Ralph.
Walter was starting on the vinegar bath that Ralph suggested to remove the rust from the turbo pumps. It was a brilliant idea from a brilliant mind. Walter could totally relate. He was standing in the middle of baking aisle at the convenience store that was located around the corner hoping to find the said vinegar he needed for the experiment. He felt the faint buzzing of his phone as it vibrated against his leg. Not bothering to glance at the name on the id, because he knew from the pattern of vibration, he unlocked the phone and raised it to his ear.
"Paige, I don't have the time for this. I am at the convenience store looking for vinegar." Walter said in a rush, the adrenaline in his blood was causing him to focus on much. He was not focusing on the call, so he did not catch the first few words, or the wavering of the voice on the end of the line. "Can you believe this place doesn't have vinegar? Well, not in the quantity that I need. Do you think Costco would have something in vat size?"
He waited a beat, and then heard the sharp intake of breath that he noticed Paige would only do when she was upset or frustrated. "I'm sorry, no I didn't catch your last sentence. Yes, I was distracted. Can you please repeat what you just said?" Walter threw the five dollar bill on the counter for the pint of vinegar and did not wait to collect his change and stepped from the store. There, standing on the vacant sidewalk of Los Angeles when he felt his heart plummet to his feet, up to his throat and then in reverse.
Ralph had been hauled in by the Department of Justice, and Paige was calling because she needed him.
"Listen, Paige, I will call Cabe." Walter said springing into action and ran the half block back to the garage tossing the vinegar to Happy, "Don't say a thing to the DOJ. We don't know if they can be trusted. Yes, I will hurry. Stay strong." Walter said awkwardly as his good bye, but he had a thing about saying good bye. It never ended well.
"Stay strong?" Toby smirked at his greeting. "What was that about?" He asked when he focused the attention on the Irish genius, noticing his body language was in a defensive stance, one he would assume when Drew was around the team making pot shots at the team and their involvement in his son's life. Walter's hand was flying across the phone, his grip could almost be described as bruising. "What's going on with Ralph?"
This got Sylvester's and Happy's attention to turn to their leader. "I didn't say anything about Ralph. Toby, I don't appreciate you analyzing my body language." His phone was then raised to his ear waiting for the Homeland agent to answer his call. "Yes, Cabe its Walter. Look Paige called and something happened with Ralph. The Department of Justice picked them up at school and took them into custody. Paige needs me-er us." Walter amended his last word not looking at the behaviorist to have his word choice psycho-analyzed. "Okay, thanks. I will see you in five."
Walter disconnected the call and noticed the rest of the team giving him questioning looks. He rolled his eyes. "Paige called, it looks like Ralph caught the attention of the Department of Justice.—"
"The DOJ?" Sylvester physically quaked. He took a deep breath to prevent hyperventilating, a technique Megan taught him at Christmas.
"That's hardcore. Damn, he beat you by nearly nine months." Toby laughed making the comparison between Walter and Ralph, as if getting arrested at a young age was an accomplishment. Sylvester squeaked again at the scathing look Walter directed to the behaviorist.
"That isn't something to brag about." Happy aimed the comment to the man in the hat. He looked in her direction and rolled his eyes. She sent him a warning glare and then glanced her eyes to the seething leader. "Walt, what do you need us to do?"
"I don't know anything more, just that they were hauled in, I will hopefully know more and I will be in touch." Walter said and left without another word. He slammed the door in his wake.
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The drive to the Department of Justice was filled with tense unsaid words. Walter could feel the disappointment rolling off of the federal agent, and he could only assume that Cabe thought Walter had something to do with Ralph's wrong doing.
He was holding his phone hoping to not get into a verbal altercation with his mentor. The photo library was opened and he was scrolling through a few candid shots over the past few weeks. There were many of Ralph doing various things with the team, a few with Paige, and even less with just Ralph and Walter. His heart skipped when his finger swiped past one of Paige had sent him. It was a shot of Walter and Ralph sacked out on the couch. Ralph was snuggled into Walter's arms and Walter's head was resting atop the boy.
"Look, I don't know what we are walking into, but it would probably be best if you let me do the talking." Cabe said finally breaking the silence as he pulled into the parking lot for the justice building. "I know these types, they are hard press to point fingers-"
"Even if it's at an innocent ten year old?" Walter interrupted. "I know how the system works, I was there once. Remember, and if you think there is any chance I am going to let these guys do what happened to me, you are out of your mind."
"Look, let's not dwell on the past. But I know these types, let me take the lead." Cabe said deflecting the accusatory glare from the young genius. A painful flash of the memory back in Ireland and the young boy being held at gun point with zip ties about his wrist. "I know you have issues trusting me at times, but the last thing we need is you running your mouth and causing this situation to tailspin." Cabe left the conversation with that and exited the car door and lead the way into the facility flashing his government bade when getting to the first security check point.
"Agent Gallo, Homeland Security. This is Walter O'Brien, Special Federal Contractor." Walter pulled out his wallet handing it to the security detail that entered a few notes into the system and then was handed back his wallet and a visiting badge.
"Yes, Agent Eckherd put you on the list." She handed one to Cabe as well who promptly scanned the keycard through the turnstile and then clipped the badge to his jacket. Walter followed but pocketed his pass not wanting to be associated as a visitor. They were directed to the fourth floor and the elevator ride was even more palpable in the car.
"Listen," Cabe started after the elevator began to move. "I know you have every right to mistrustful for big brother, but now is not the time to take your feelings out on me. Paige and Ralph will need us to be understanding and compassionate."
"Compassionate is not an emotion that I can relate any scientific relevance to, so I do not acknowledge it as a necessary need for a sustainable life. I will be doing everything in my power to find out what happened here, and protect Ralph and Paige." Walter snapped and the elevator dinged at the arrival of their floor. The doors spread open and Walter sprang into action, looking about the chaotic bullpen for a familiar face. He noticed her hair first, since her back was turned to them as she was watching through a viewing window. Walter sidled up next to Paige, not wanting to encroach, but let his fingers trail into the palm of her hand, offering the smallest form of comfort and support. Paige reflexively spread her fingers, sliding hers between his causing them to interlock. Walter gave her a hand a soft squeeze as they looked in on the boy being interrogated.
"Walter showed it to me." The meek voice of Ralph caved to the demanding questions of the federal agent spewing off questions like artillery shots. He seemed to diminish in his chair after each round.
"Walter, Walter O'Brien?" The agent repeated leaning back in his chair. He was making a connection to another possible source of the terrorist cell. The boy nodded.
"And he taught me decryption." Ralph admitted. "I didn't know it was bad." Walter's ears went muffled, as the episodes happened when he was about the faint. It was like an aura passed over his eyes causing his surroundings to blur, noise was muffled as if he was listening underwater, and the sense of vertigo set in causing the room to spin. His life line and tether to reality was his hand in Paige's which he began to slip as she pulled away. Walter blinked furiously to regain his composure. He did not have time for bodily histrionics. He heard the gravelly voice of Cabe.
"This is over, now." The federal agent charged into the office interrupting the conversation between the boy and Agent Eckherd. "Agent Gallo, Homeland Security." Walter was not watching the room anymore, he was focused on the reflection in the glass. Paige's face was completely blank, void of reaction. Which unnerved him. He tried to regain her hand but she hand wrapped them about herself, holding both of her elbows as she crossed her arms about her body.
She danced away from his hand when he went to reach for her side, knowing that he was seeking some sort of approval, or reassurance that only she could offer. Paige kept her eyes fixated on Ralph, knowing that if she looked at Walter there was a chance she would fall apart. The only person that mattered at the moment was her little boy, who seemed to be shrinking into himself. A state that she had not seen in months. Since before they joined Scorpion.
Paige finally found her words. Although she felt a white hot rage at the situation and the possibility it be at the hand of Walter, she kept her voice level. "What did you teach him?" And she stepped away leaving Walter to wallow in his despair. Walter watched as she entered the office and moved swiftly to her son. She crouched down sliding her hand to Ralph, and then bringing her lips to his forehead. The boy began to sniffle into her shoulder. Walter wanted to turn away, so he could compartmentalize these emotions, maybe hit a wall with this fist, something to allow for release, but he remained. Watching vigilantly as if this was a penance for his wrong doing.
Cabe motioned to Paige to take Ralph out of the office so he could have a word privately with the special agent of the department of justice, and Paige guided the boy out of the room, past Walter and to a waiting area of sorts. They both sat down, Paige wrapping a protective arm about her son's shoulder. She knew that Walter was trailing behind, she could feel him in her wake. She knew he would be wanting to explain.
"So these dark sites, its where the most interesting coding is; it'it's cutting edge." Walter started the excitement and amazement of the programming element was evident in his voice. He stuttered when he was caught up in fascination.
"Walter." Paige firmly called the genius back to the present, forcing him to forgo the rabbit hole.
"I thought it would be interesting for Ralph to see where the smartest people on the Web are designing." Walter explained his eyes not focusing on Paige and drifting to Ralph. The pained look of shame was shining in the boy's eyes. A bevy of tears threatened to fall.
"And doing what else?" Paige pushed making the genius look back to her and he swallowed. "Did you think of that?" Walter could tell she was not only mad but disappointed in his lapse of judgment. He recalled a few weeks ago when he had been showing Ralph different things about the internet and video games that Paige had mentioned that she did not want Ralph having access to things she couldn't monitor. Walter had rolled his eyes at her overprotective nature, passing it off as some maternal fleeting feeling. Now, he knew that this is what she meant about wanting to keep Ralph protected from the vast depths of the web.
"Paige, I-i-I was just showing him a b-beta game site. People post for feedback to d-drum up buzz before selling to big companies." Walter tried to deflect the gravity of the situation. Wanting to show her the innocence of the happenstance, "You get to see the game years before anyone else does-"
"Stop. Now." Paige halted his excuse. It was then Drew entered the bullpen. The father coming to the rescue and Walter's eyes shifted to a glare for a moment. This miniscule reaction did not go unnoticed by Paige. She arched an eyebrow at the genius who leaned back slightly as he crossed his arms in a defensive stance. A silent conversation between the two went unnoticed to most, but it spoke volumes between the couple. Walter was affronted by the fact she had called Drew, a feeling of betrayal blossomed in his throat, and she was feeling a mild annoyance to his childish reaction to Ralph's biological father. She sent him a darkening look as if to say, 'He is Ralph's father what did you expect.'
Walter's demeanor changed in a fluidity of a second. He became stone, stilling himself to the emotion, and focusing on the one thing that mattered at the moment. Ralph.
"Got here as quick as I could." Drew bent down to Ralph's eye level which Walter felt was a bit patronizing for a boy that had probably twice the IQ level, but what could he do. "Scary day, huh?" Walter wanted to smack the minor league ball player on the back of his head. Could he use complete sentences and Walter had to hide his smirk at the way Ralph rolled his eyes. Drew turned, focusing his direction to Walter, "Somebody want to fill me in?"
"It's nothing, he did nothing." Walter confirmed. He knew Drew would not be able to comprehend the semantics of the situation. All Drew would see is, his son in trouble and it was Walter's fault.
"But he got hauled off the street, in front of his school and we're at the Justice Department." Drew surmised the account for the day, making Walter want to point out that if he had the knowledge what was the point in asking in the first place. Walter was so focused on not punching Drew he missed the signal Cabe sent Paige. He felt her presence stand, and he angled his body allowing her entrance and accepting her into the group.
"Can you sit with Ralph?" Paige asked but only to Drew. Her hand came to rest on Walter's upper arm, just above his elbow, her thumb involuntarily tracing across his sleeve. This action was caught by Drew who glared at the gesture.
"Yeah." He said dejectedly, then stepped forward to place himself next to Ralph on the seat. The pair had not taken four steps before they heard Ralph respond to his questions.
"I just want to talk to, Walter." Walter controlled the triumphant look as they moved closed to Cabe because he did not want to throw fuel to the fire. He put his hand to the small of Paige's back as if to make his presence known.
Cabe threw him a pointed look, but he let his hand remain. "Eckherd isn't buying he just stumbled into the secret level." Walter let out a disgusted growl.
"That is the likely scenario. He just can't comprehend the depth of Ralph's intelligence; maybe no one can." He stopped short of ending the sentence with the word, except me. Walter had made the comparison in the past knowing it was a sore subject between the genius and mother. Walter had been trying to explain his intelligence in relation to Ralph and that sometimes Paige would not understand Ralph the way Walter could. She had shut down his logical reasoning, stating there was more to life the genius quotient and mental acuity. That her connection to Ralph was no less because he surpassed her mediocre knowledge years ago. Paige shifted slightly away causing his hand to fall away from her back.
"They should be talking to Walter. Why aren't they?" Paige snapped, her eyes closing at the action of throwing Walter under the bus, but he could explain to the Department of the Justice how her son got to the game site, and everything could be explained.
"I can explain everything." Walter said stepping forward, ready to fall on his sword for the boy. Paige blinked away the tears. She did not know if it was from the frustration or the act of kindness and willing Walter was displaying for her son.
"Not now." Cabe said lifting his hands in a pausing motion. "I've lawyered up for the whole team." And he went into the explanation that Ralph was being released back to Paige in the care of him as the federal agent, so he would need to remain close to the boy until they could get everything sorted. Walter tried again, trying to reason with Cabe that the best thing for Ralph would be for him to take ownership of the entire situation. It was not Ralph's fault. He was an innocent caught in the depths of the wicked.
Paige stepped away to talk to Drew about what was happening, and Cabe put his hand on Walter's arm. "Walter, I know what you are trying to do, protect the boy and all, but they are being extremely aggressive. The safe house Intel in the game was stolen in a hack of the CIA mainframe three weeks ago. That, along with six other unknown operations and safe houses were taken." Walter swayed at the brevity of the situation. This was more than just a simple hack. Something seemed aloof, and that is why the Department of Justice was being too secretive and forceful. The safety of their assets at home and in field were in peril of jeopardy. Walter nodded.
"Okay, we need to find out who hacked the CIA." Walter said mostly to himself as if he was formulating a plan of attack, a game plan for clearing Ralph's name. "That's who likely put the information in the game. Why are we standing here?" He snapped and stepped away from the federal agent and moving toward the elevator bay where Drew, Paige and Ralph were standing. The boy was flanked by both parents. Drew stepped forward putting himself between Walter and the rest of his family.
"Fill me in." Drew requested. Walter tried to step aside.
"There is no time." Walter stated, his mind on the mission but he was waylaid by the hand to his chest.
"He's my son." Drew threatened quietly, "Make time." Walter brushed the hand from his chest.
"You know, with your history, I would be cautious saying that." Walter stepped closer to Drew, invading his personal space and to initiate a private conversation that had been boiling under the surface since the latent father had returned to the picture. Paige came into his periphery and as if on autopilot his hand reached out to take hold of her wrist. She tried to move away but as if by magnetic pull he was able to latch on.
"This is not about either of you." Paige interrupted the potential scene. Drew rolled his eyes and stepped away, "This is a mess you got Ralph into, and you need to get him out. Do you understand?" Paige stated forcefully pulling her wrist from his grasp. She would not cave to his touches.
"I will make this right." Walter affirmed.
"Stop talking," She demanded, "And just do it." Walter nodded and stepped away to the elevator bay furiously pounding his finger to the call button. He turned to look for Cabe, but was met with the picture of Ralph, Drew and Paige walking towards the elevator. Each parent flanking the child, and each holding on to his hands. Walter could have sworn he saw Drew smirk. Walter gave the boy a wink, letting the child know that he did not need to worry and that he was not disappointed in his confession to the agent.
"You did the right thing Ralph." Walter confirmed his suspicions at Ralph looking for some assurance. "It was right to tell the agent that I taught you how to use the dark web." The boy nodded giving him a small smile. Walter turned away from the family murmuring something about he would rather take the stairs.
He didn't wait to hear if Paige would stop his hasty retreat, and he did not know if he would have stopped if she had.
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Walter felt guilty at the way he barked at Sylvester about his narration of the steps the team had taken since his phone call in the stairwell of the Justice building. He had given them the gist of the situation and what semblance of a plan he had come to as he walked to the car. He had instructed the team to do each of their part. Happy with tracing metadata buried in the graphics, Sylvester trailing the input proxy of the different user names that Ralph had made contact, and Toby to troll the site boards for finding patterns of deep undercover spy conspiracy.
He stormed into the kitchen to retrieve a bottle of water when he heard the behaviorist call his name and tell him that the team was trying, and he needed to be patient.
"They're not us." Walter answered firmly as if that was not an excuse for their delayed intelligence. He expected more from the team. Sylvester was a freaking human calculator for crying out loud, he should be able to mine the information that was back-uped to the cloud.
"We know, we're already tracing his steps." Toby placated the genius. The behaviorist could read the leader's guilt. Hell an inanimate object could sense the guilt that Walter was displaying in his verbal lashing and the swaying of his stance.
"I only showed him the deep Web because it's where he could find people like himself, people like us." Walter released. Toby gave him an understanding look.
"I'm certain your intentions were good." Toby nodded, he wanted to add that Paige would be able to see it after they cleared her son. That her judgment was clouded because of her fear for the safety for Ralph, and that she would be able to understand and forgive the genius of his misstep.
"Toby, he was engaged, he was asking questions." Walter confessed, this only happened because he had been told by Ralph of his lack of friends at school because they said he was different. In a moment of weakness, Walter had given him the tools to be able to reach out to people with similar intelligence quotient. A place to belong. Hence the dark Web. "It was like the first time that I used the Internet. It was just having some fun."
Toby remained silent.
"You're reading my body language and analyzing me." Walter accused the behaviorist.
"I was absolutely doing that," Toby owned up to his professional habit kicking in. "I'm determining whether you know that mentoring a young person is about more than just fun." Walter did not refrain from rolling his eyes about his sockets.
Shaking his head in annoyance, "Of course I know that."
At that moment the garage door opened and in walked Paige, Drew and Ralph.
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Review if you like…
Ema.