Nearly five months after the Gettleman bid:
Paige sat in the conference room with her partners as they were going over their client jobs when the front door chime jingled.
Toby stood up and stepped to the door and looked down the hallway.
"We're back here." Toby said as he motioned to the slightly older man.
Toby stepped back in and sat down as the man walked down the hallway.
"How can Centipede Partners help you sir?" Paige said politely as she stood when the man stepped into the doorway of the room.
"Ah, your offices were a little hard to find. I'm looking for Ms Paige Dineen and Mr Sylvester Dodd." The man said politely.
"I'm Paige and this is Sylvester." Paige smiled as she gestured to Sylvester beside her.
"Oh excellent." The man smiled as he gave them both a pack of papers. "You've been served." The man said. He tapped his chest and they saw a body camera. "No signatures required, I have you on video." He told them before he turned and started leaving.
"Wait, excuse me? We're being sued?" Paige asked as she quickly walked to the door.
"I'm sorry I don't have any particulars. Everything should be explained in those packets." The man nodded and then continued on his way out of the building.
"Son of a bee sting." Sylvester moaned as he scanned the papers quickly.
"What?" Happy asked.
"Walter is suing us. We're violating a non-compete clause with Scorpion. When Walter gave us shares in Scorpion it was part of what we signed." Sylvester groaned.
"What? How is that legal?" Toby complained.
"Companies do it all the time Toby. And worse because we quit the way we quit, we forfeited our shares of the company. Walter is also reasserting ownership over the winch design and the water purifier." Sylvester said as he continued reading.
"Wait, you didn't design that for Scorpion." Paige complained.
"Walter listed all the company hours I worked on the purifier and the hours I was performing my responsibilities as Alderman on Scorpion time as proof it was paid for by Scorpion. Son of a bee sting." Sylvester complained.
"He's just mad because we got the Gettleman and Beauchamp jobs. I'll go talk to him and straighten it out." Paige told them.
"I don't think that's it…" Happy said too softly to be heard as Paige got up and left.
Paige frowned as she turned on the street going to the Garage. The area looked remarkably cleaner. She didn't see any of the graffiti that used to mar the buildings and various signs and light poles. She noticed the area down by the highway overpass looked completely cleaned up. And there were a number of landscaping changes making the area look much nicer. She paused at the stop sign across the street from the Garage. A gasp escaped her lips as she saw the changes to the Garage. It looked like a brand new building. All the windows had been replaced and the bricks cleaned while new mortar had been put into the seams. She wasn't even sure if Scorpion was still there.
She swallowed as she pulled over and parked. Something gnawed at her as she got out. She looked closer at the building and noticed that the back of the Garage that Florence was working out of had been torn down. And it looked like some kind of a parking lot.
Paige shrugged finally and walked up to the door and pushed it open. She was completely shocked at what she saw. Instead of opening into the Garage there was now an actual enclosed reception area. Complete with a receptionist behind some glass and a door with a remote access lock on it. Paige swallowed as she stepped up to the glass and tapped on it gently.
The receptionist smiled and held up a finger as she finished a phone call. She finally hung up and opened the glass.
"Good morning dear, welcome to Scorpion Inc. How can I assist you?" The older woman asked.
"Umm, I'm a little confused by the changes. Sorry. My name is Paige and I'd like to speak to Walter please." Paige asked.
"Oh I'm afraid Mr O'Brien is quite busy. Do you have an appointment?" She frowned as she looked at her appointment book.
"No, but we go back a few years, I'm sure he'll be happy to see me." Paige smiled at her.
"I'm not sure, like I said he is a busy man, but I can try. What is this in regards too?" She asked.
Paige let out a sigh under her breath.
"He had some papers sent over to my office and I thought it might be better if I discussed them with him in person." Paige told her.
The older woman nodded as she held up a finger. She picked up the phone and hit a couple of buttons and waited.
"Yes Mr O'Brien, I'm so sorry to disturb you sir. A young woman named Paige is here. She said she received some paperwork from you today and she wanted to discuss it with you face to face." The receptionist explained.
"Oh, yes, I certainly do understand sir. I didn't think she was that Paige. I'll let her know. Of course sir, I'll hold all your calls." The woman said before she hung up. She began writing on a slip of paper.
"I'm terribly sorry Ms Dineen. Mr O'Brien said that on the advice of counsel he can't take any meetings with you." She looked up to her as she paused writing. "He said his attorney's information should have been in the packets but just in case he wanted me to give it to you again." She held out the slip of paper.
Paige stood there staring at her with her mouth open.
"No, absolutely not. We've been friends for too long for this nonsense, you get him back on the phone. I want to see him this minute." Paige told her while refusing the slip of paper.
"I'm sorry Ms Dineen, Mr O'Brien was quite firm in his decision. And he is about to leave for lunch so he wouldn't have time even if he was inclined." She told Paige sweetly.
Paige turned to the door and banged on it.
"Damn it Walter, come face me like a man. Don't hide like a coward." Paige yelled.
"Ms Dineen, please. He can't hear you, this whole area is sound proofed. If you don't calm down and leave I'll have to call security." She told Paige.
"Then call security because I'm not leaving without talking to Walter." Paige told her while crossing her arms.
"Have it your way sweetie." She said before she slid the glass closed and hit a button and Paige heard a mechanism engage in the wall and steel bars slid down behind the glass.
A second later the door opened and Cabe stepped through.
"Cabe! Oh thank gawd. What is going on here? Why can't I see Walter?" Paige asked. She tried to step up to hug him and Cabe held up his hand stopping her. "Cabe?" Paige asked puzzled.
"I'm sorry Ms Dineen, but you need to leave." Cabe told her as he stepped just past her and opened the outside door. He stood there holding it open looking at her.
"Cabe, come on. We've a history together." Paige complained.
Cabe's left arm gestured out the door and Paige rolled her eyes and stepped outside. She turned expecting Cabe to step out with her so they could talk but he just shut the door and she heard a lock engage.
Paige's mouth dropped open and she grabbed the handle but it wouldn't turn nor would the door open.
Paige swore and then she heard the sound of a helicopter reving up. She stepped out to her car looking around and then the sound got louder. As she looked up she saw a helicopter slowly take off from the roof of the Garage. Her mouth opened as she read the sign on the side. "Scorpion Inc."
"What the hell is going on?" Paige frowned.
"Well, what did he say?" Sylvester asked as he opened the outer door to their offices for her.
"He didn't say anything to me. He told his receptionist to tell me that on advice from his attorney he wasn't to talk to me. Then because I wouldn't leave she had security come and escort me out." Paige told him.
"Security?" Sylvester frowned.
"Cabe, can you believe that? And he only addressed me as Ms Dineen and then shut and locked the door on me. You should see the place over there. I grabbed some pictures. And Walter has a helicopter now." Paige told him even as she tossed her purse on her desk and then sat down.
"A helicopter?" Sylvester said shocked.
Paige nodded as she got her phone out and pulled up the pictures she took and handed the phone to him.
Sylvester couldn't believe how nice the neighborhood looked and then he saw that Florence's area was gone and it was a parking lot now. And he saw the helicopter fly off.
"I guess we'll have to go to his attorney's office." Paige sighed.
"I'm going to see if I can track down that helicopter." Sylvester said as he handed back her phone and moved to his desk.
"So what did he say?" Toby asked as he walked into the office with Happy.
Paige told them the same thing she told Sylvester and let them look at the pictures.
"According to the information I looked up. Walter bought that helicopter brand new, a month ago." Sylvester told them as he moved back to her office door.
"How the hell did he afford all this? We've beat him at every job." Toby complained.
"Not every job you dummy. Just the ones Walter either didn't go for or didn't care about after the Gettleman pitch. And don't forget the few times we've seen him how nice he dresses. If he's been able to afford all these changes he's had to have taken the true whales." Happy sighed as she sat down.
Happy saw the confused looks on her partners' faces.
"Don't you idiots ever pay attention to Walter the few times we've seen him? The man is wearing expensive Italian suits, he even walks differently. Come on Paige, you dated the man for almost a year, been in love with him for nearly four years. Are you telling me you haven't noticed? And you Fungus, you've been obsessed with understanding the man since he saved your life." Happy asked incredulously.
"Not really." Paige admitted, clearly embarrassed. "I tried to keep it solely professional each time.
"Just how closely have you been watching Walter?" Toby demanded of Happy. "Is there more to you having been married to him then you told me?"
Happy grabbed up Paige's coffee mug and Toby threw up his hands defensively.
"Sorry. So what now?" Toby asked.
"I'm going to call Allie. Maybe she'll talk to me." Paige said absently before taking her phone back.
"Paige?" Allie answered her phone.
"Allie, hi, yes it's me." Paige said with a slight bit of laughter to her voice.
"I couldn't believe it when I saw your name come up. I haven't heard from you in so long." Allie said.
"I know, I'm sorry about that, Allie. Just, what with getting everything sorted and worked out hasn't left a lot of time." Paige sighed.
"I can imagine. Are you and Ralph okay?" Allie asked.
"Yes, we're doing good. He's even starting to act more normal, finally." Paige explained. "How are you and Cabe doing?"
"That's good to hear. We've missed you both. We're doing good, both of us getting settled into our new jobs." Allie smiled.
"New jobs? That sounds exciting, what are you doing?" Paige asked. Hoping to worm as much information as she could out of her.
"Well I'm working for Scorpion Inc now as their chemist and Cabe retired from Homeland. And as you know he's in charge of security at Scorpion Inc now." Allie told her.
"Oh, I see." Paige sighed inwardly as obviously Cabe had already told her that Paige had been there. "I suppose you know I had gone over to talk to Walter."
"Oh yes, Cabe stopped by for a few moments to discuss plans for lunch and told me." Allie told her.
"Why was Cabe so cold to me then Allie?" Paige asked.
Allie kind of chuckled which irritated Paige a bit.
"Well part of it is because as security he's restricted in what he can say to you because of the lawsuit. Plus he's hurt that none of you have bothered to keep in touch." Allie told her.
"I would have but I didn't think he'd want anything to do with me after the break up." Paige said weakly.
"Well sadly, your silence over almost five months was worse to him than the break up." Allie explained.
"Surely he can understand why, right?" Paige asked.
"Paige, sweetheart. Cabe understood you being upset. He wasn't mad at you for being upset about that. He read Walter the riot act over taking Florence to that lecture. What he didn't understand is why you didn't try to fix it. He didn't understand why you joined with the other three and formed a company to compete against Scorpion. Cabe, well both of us, didn't understand why you cut us off. We both invested so much of our lives into you, Ralph and the guys. And other than a thrice weekly email from Ralph, we don't hear anything. Do you know what that is like?" Allie asked.
Paige sighed.
"Allie I'm really sorry. We didn't approach things with you and Cabe very well. I'm actually ashamed of that. What can I do to help rectify things?" Paige asked.
"I'm not sure just to be honest with you Paige. I can ask Cabe and see if he might have a suggestion. Maybe we can get together some evening for a meal." Allie said but her voice wasn't very encouraging.
"Well I would be happy to have a meal with you guys whenever it is convenient for you. I'd imagine the guys would like that as well. What about Walter? About Scorpion?" Paige asked.
"Well I'll get back to you about the meal. As for Walter and Scorpion Inc, I'm sorry. Per the attorney I can't discuss either." Allie told her.
"I understand Allie. Thanks for answering my call after all of this silence. You let me know when you guys want to get together and we'll make it happen." Paige sighed.
"Alright Paige. You and Ralph give each other a hug for us." Allie said before she hung up.
"That didn't go well." Toby said.
"Well better than I would have thought, all things considered. And a little information we didn't have before." Happy said.
"I wonder where Florence is." Sylvester frowned. "Not much of a need to have Allie as a chemist if she's there."
Paige had flipped to her message app as they talked and tapped on Cabe's contact.
"Cabe, I just talked with Allie for a moment. I'm so sorry. I didn't stop to consider how much you two cared for us. I just assumed you'd be so upset because I broke up with Walter and I let that stop me from contacting you. That was really wrong and out of order. You have every right to be mad at me. You've treated me like your daughter for years and then I repaid that kindness horribly. I hope you can forgive me and we can try and come back as the family we are." Paige typed and hit send.
She stared at the screen, waiting. Ignoring the three geniuses in her office talking.
Her phone beeped and she saw a message from Cabe. She tapped on it and it opened up.
"When you assume, you make an ass out of u and me." Cabe sent back to her.
Paige smiled and then frowned. Was this the start of forgiveness or just a snide remark of his disdain for her behavior?
Greetings! Welcome to Lawsuits! Free starch with every deodorizer! lol Bad dry cleaning joke. hehe Hope this finds you all well!
To the Adventure! -Tim