"Toby! Talk to me, babe!" Happy twisted her hands around the wrench she was holding. "Walt, what do you see?"
"Nothing. All I see is the collapsed tunnel. I can't even see the pipe."
Sylvester chimed in, "That would make sense. The rubble is probably stacked up, covering the pipe. There's a 87% chance that Toby is underneath everything based on where he was when it started to fall."
"That's not helping, Sly," Paige admonished.
"I'm sorry, numbers keep me calm," Sylvester said quietly.
Happy glanced at Paige. Her eyes open wide with fear. Paige tried to give a reassuring smile, but she couldn't hide the fear on her own face. Happy threw the wrench against a nearby wall.
"Damnit! I knew something was going to happen! Toby, talk to me, please," Happy pleaded, trying her hardest to keep the tears threatening to come out at bay. But he still didn't respond.
"Maybe his comm fell out?" Cabe suggested.
Happy shook her head, "Not possible. I modified our comms after Antarctica so they couldn't just fall out." She ran her hands over her face and leaned back until she hit the wall. She needed the support, "I can't stand here doing nothing. Walt, I'm coming there. I have to find Toby."
"Happy, no, you can't. You're the only one who can fix the pressure regulator. I know you want to be here, but I need you there," Walter replied.
"You don't get to tell me what to do, Walt. I need to be there. I need to be with Toby.
"Hap-"
Walter was cut off by the sound of coughing. Happy straightened up.
"Toby, is that you? Please tell me you're alive."
"Happy, I'm here," Toby managed to get out, voice cracking.
Cabe and Paige hugged each other, happy to hear his voice. Happy fell back against the wall again, this time with relief.
"Oh thank God. I was so scared, baby. Are you alright? What happened? I'm on my way now."
"No, Happy. Stay there. You need to fix that regulator," Walter said before Toby could respond.
"I would punch you if I was there Walter. I need to be there."
"No, Hap, he's right. When the debris fell, the pipe was hit again. It broke in half. One side is blocked off by the debris, but the other side is open. Gas is leaking out pretty fast."
"What side is cut off?" Walter asked.
"The side closest to the City Hall."
"So that means we don't have to worry about that side for the moment. With no new gas going in, pressure won't build up, but continue to decrease on that side," Sylvester said. "But, I'm assuming the gas is coming out with a lot of pressure on the other side, meaning the air will quickly be filled with gas, since the regulator was tampered with. That is our main concern right now."
Happy growled, "Fine I'll stay and fix the regulator. Now answer my damn question Toby, are you ok?"
Toby cleared his throat, "You promise you'll stay there and fix it?"
"Yes! I'm already working on it. Now talk to me!"
Toby chuckled, "That's my line."
"Toby!"
"Alright, alright. I was hit on the head by some of the debris when it fell. It knocked me out for a bit and my head is bleeding pretty heavily."
"You need to get out of there, Doc. I don't want you passing out from blood loss. I don't think I could handle anything more happening to you right now."
"Toby," Walter said, "where are you? I was able to get another ladder so you can climb up. If I can hold the ladder so it's not leaning against the side of the hole, you should be able to climb up without causing anymore damage to the tunnel. With that gas leaking, you shouldn't be down there."
"Well, that's going to be a problem," Toby said quietly.
Happy grew tense and stopped working on the regulator, "What do you mean?"
"When the tunnel collapsed I tried to run away, further into the tunnel. But before I could get to safety, some of the rubble hit me."
"Yes, we know that. So what's the problem?" Cabe asked.
"I'm trapped and I can't move. I'm pretty much buried under the rubble. A large piece fell on one of my legs and it's too big for me to move. Some smaller pieces are on top of me, but I don't think they caused any damaged. Before I passed out, I was able to pull the support over, so the top would protect my head. The only thing keeping me alive right now is the support you fashioned, Hap. It is holding up some of the rubble, keeping it from completely burying me. I don't think I'll be going anywhere soon."
Happy dropped her wrench, too shocked to say anything.
Paige was the first to recover from this new information, "Walter, can't you go in there and help?"
Toby answered for Walter, "The integrity of the tunnel has been further compromised. If he comes in from the hole, there is a good chance it could collapse more. Plus, I don't think I can walk. Which means I have to be lifted. We can't set up a pulley because that much weight would just pull the tunnel in more. Plus, even if the tunnel weren't a problem, he wouldn't be able to get me out by himself."
"Can you move, son?" Cabe asked.
"Yeah. I can move everything except for the leg that is trapped. If I sit up, though, I get pretty light headed."
"Toby, I'll be there soon," Happy finally said, shaking herself out of her shock.
"Hap, you can't. Me being trapped isn't the biggest problem we have."
"Like hell it isn't," Happy yelled.
"It isn't. I'm right near the leaking pipe, Hap."
"Oh my god," Paige gasped.
Happy steeled her face, "So if I don't get this regulator fixed gas is going to continue spewing out at a high pressure, killing you."
"But if you do, you can control the gas, reducing the flow, hopefully buying me enough time until they can find the valve or you guys get me out," Toby said quietly, "You have to focus, babe. Just forget about me for a few minutes and focus on the problem in front of. This is one time I'm asking you to be emotionless. Please."
Happy nodded, knowing that Toby couldn't see her. But if she had to revert back to old Happy, even for a few minutes, she couldn't speak. If she spoke, she was afraid the dam would break and everything she was feeling would come out - anger, fear, sadness. No, she had to shove those to the side, like she so easily used to. Focus on the problem, nothing else.
For the next few minutes, Happy tuned everything around her out. She only thought about the task at hand. She finally set her tools down, allowing herself to sign with relief as she plopped down on the floor.
"I'm finished. And before you say anything Walter, I'm coming to help you figure out how to get him out. Someone else can go dig through the explosion site to find the valve, but it's not going to be me. I need to be over there."
Sylvester chimed in, "I've already called Homeland and they have sent people to the explosion site. We're covered over there."
"I'm on my way," Happy said, already sprinting to the car, Cabe and Paige on her heels.
"You better hurry up, Hap, before I start hallucinating you doing naughty things to me," Toby joked
Happy smiled, "You never can be serious, can you?"
"Just trying to lighten the mood, babe. You know me."
"You're still an idiot, Doc."
"And yet you love me anyways."
"Yes, I do," Happy replied, speeding off towards Toby.
"Walt, talk to me. What ideas do you have?" Happy asked, sprinting up to Walter.
"We know that there is gas leaking down there, so that means we can't do anything that would cause sparks. Drilling close to the hole is out of the question."
"Big machinery is out too. The weight of it and the vibrations would cause more collapse," Sly added.
"Can't you just get in to the tunnel from somewhere else? I mean it is a tunnel," Paige asked.
Walter looked at Paige, surprise on his face, "Brilliant. Sly, can you pull up the schematics of the pipe system. See if there is anywhere nearby that has access to the tunnel."
All of a sudden, violent coughing comes over the comms.
"Toby, are you okay?" Happy asks, concern in her voice.
"It's getting hard to breath down here and my eyes are starting to burn. Gas is heavier than air, so it settles and I'm at the bottom. My guess is that the concentration of gas around me is at least 200 ppm, if it gets to 500, I lose consciousness."
"How much time does that give us?"
"Based off that and how long I've been down here, I would say 20 minutes. 30 minutes tops."
"Fuck!" Happy yells.
"There is an opening about 2 miles away," Sly said.
"It'll take too long to reach Toby," Happy said angrily, she walks away, running her hands through her hair. "Everything is going to take too damn long."
Paige follows. When Happy stops she rests her hand on her shoulder.
"Hey, everything is going to be all right."
Happy shrugs her off and whips around to glare at her, "How can you say that? Nothing is going to be okay until Toby is safe. And right now, I'm too goddamn emotional to think straight to figure out a solution. This is why I don't let people in, they mess with my head. So you don't get to act like everything will be fine."
Paige takes a step back, surprised by Happy's outburst.
"I'm just trying to help. How can I?"
"You can't, okay? Just back off."
"Happy!" Walter says sharply, walking up to the two, "You need to stop. There's a time and place for this, but now isn't that time nor place."
"Walt, don't test me. I will-"
"Hap, baby, you have to calm down," Toby interrupted, words coming out between labored breaths. "Acting like that does no good. You know it's okay to be scared and to ask for help, right? You aren't alone now."
Happy took a shuddering breath and quietly responded, "Yes, you've been helping me realize that. But I'm scared right now, Toby."
"Then stop being so damn stubborn. I know you're scared, baby. I am too. But you need to let your friends help you. They know you aren't fine right now, so they want to take pressure off of you. Let them be there for you. With their help, you can figure out a solution. Without their help, this will just take longer. And I don't know about you, but I want to get out of here and give you a long hug."
Happy smiled, "Thanks, Doc. You always know what to say."
She walked back over to the group. Nobody said anything about what had just happened, they could see the sorry in her eyes, as well as the question for help.
"While you were talking with Toby, we think we came up with a plan. The entrance two miles away is too far, but what if we drill closer? Sly figured out that the closest we can get without causing any more of the tunnel to collapse is 200 feet away."
Happy nodded, "That should work, but you're going to still need to support the tunnel along the way, say every 50 feet, to avoid anything happening. Sly, how tall is the tunnel?"
"It has a height of 10 feet."
Happy look around and saw a construction site next door. Pointing to it, she said, "There. They will have metal supports that we can use in the tunnel. We also need to borrow one of the jackhammers. It's the fastest way to make a hold large enough.
Cabe, Walter, and Paige ran off to get the items Happy just said, while she measured 200 feet away.
"See, Hap. I told you that your friends would help. You aren't alone anymore."
"Yeah, I'm not. I have you now," she said so quietly that Toby almost didn't hear her.
"Always, Hap."
Happy cleared her throat, clamping down on any emotion she might have been showing, "How are you doing?"
"I've been better," he chuckled before having another coughing fit.
Walter, Cabe, and Paige came back before she could respond. They looked to her to, asking what to do.
"Start using the jackhammer here," she pointed to the ground next to her, "It should only take a few minutes to get through. And Toby, now is not the time to joke. I need to know how you are. I'm going crazy here with worry."
He coughed and then replied, "It's getting worse. My sight is getting spotty now and if I move, I get dizzy, even laying down."
"That means the concentration of gas is going up. I would say it is getting close to 500 ppm," Sly said.
Toby coughed harder, "Yes, it is. Or it could be from all the blood I've lost." More coughing, "Hap, oxygen."
"I know, babe, it's decreasing."
"No," cough, "I will need," cough, "pure," cough, "oxygen." The coughing continued for a few moments. When Toby started talking again, he sounded weaker, "It's the only way," cough, "to flush out the gas from my system."
"I already have it there, Happy, along with the paramedics," Sylvester responded.
"Thanks, Sly."
"Anytime. We are not losing another person close to us."
Happy smiled and looked down at her hands. They were shaking. They never shook. She frowned slightly. Paige come up to her.
"My hands shake when I'm scared too."
Happy just looked at her. Paige didn't say anything more. She just gave Happy a small smile and walked away. Happy was grateful for that. She appreciated everything that everyone was doing. She would have been useless without their support. But right now, showing her vulnerability was too much. There was only one person who was allowed to see her like that and he was trapped 10 feet underground. She took a deep breath and got herself back under control.
A few minutes later, they had a hole big enough to get through. Happy went to grab the supports when she felt a hand on her arm. She turned and saw Walter standing there.
"Happy, I don't think it's wise for you to go in. I know you don't like being told what to do and you want to be there for Toby, but think. If you're in there, you won't be able to think logically. Mistakes could be made. Let me do this. I will bring him back to you safely."
Happy was about to retort, but heard Toby's words again about letting her friends help her. She nodded and he ran off to follow Cabe into the tunnel.
Minutes passed. Walter and Cabe had put up three of the supports and we're getting closer to Toby. Happy held her breath, scared they weren't going to get to him in time.
"Just one more support, Happy," Walter informed her.
Happy sighed with relief, but she knew Toby wasn't safe yet. Whenever she talked to him his voice was weak. His coughs were strong. He was at the point where he could barely say full sentences or have a comprehensive thought.
Happy was pulled from her thoughts when she heard a quiet voice.
"Hap?"
"Yeah babe?" she answered, matching his tone.
Toby coughed hard, "I'm...sorry."
Happy swallowed hard fighting back tears, "Don't say that, Doc."
"I...didn't...want to...die. Love...you."
Happy heard him gasping for more air, but he couldn't seem to get enough.
"I love you too, Toby. But they are almost there. Just hold on. Talk to me, babe. Tell me a story."
But once again, Happy didn't get a response. All she heard was silence. Her stomach dropped.
"Toby! This isn't funny. Talk to me!"
But there was nothing. Happy heard Paige behind her. She turned around and let herself be hugged by Paige.
"He'll be alright, Happy. He'll be alright," Paige kept saying, trying to reassure her.
Happy didn't say anything as she finally let one small tear fall down her cheek.