Another bar, another time...

*2009*

"Walter Stark?"

Walt lifted his head peering with blurred eyes into the mirror behind the bar. He didn't recognize the man behind him who adressed him He didn't recognize his surroundings either for that matter, though that was hardly unusual for him as of late.

"Who wants to know?"

The man in the crisp black suit smiled a perfunctory business like smile. The simple but tailored business suit put him at distinct odds in the run down bar environment making him stand out. Reaching into his pocket he pulled out a business card and introduced himself. "Mr Johnson. If you are he I was hoping for a moment of your time."

Walt took the card and reading it said, "Well Mr Johnson of whatever RDI is, that depends..."

"Depends on what, exactly?" he asked.

Walt couldn't help a slight smirk for the suit falling for the obvious setup and gestured towards his glass. "Are you buying?"

Johnson cleared his throat. "If that's the price for a moment of your time then certainly. Shall we grab a table?"

"Lead the way, Mr Johnson," he said as he stood up from the bar finishing his current drink and telling the bartender to send the waitress over to them.

After getting seated at a corner table and placing their orders with the bars only waitress (whiskey for himself, club soda for Mister Johnson). "If I may begin, Sergeant-"

Walter scowled and gave the man a cold stare. "Don't. I'm not in the army anymore."

Johnson cleared his throat again nervously and started again,"Mr Stark, then. Mr Stark, I represent some individuals who are aware of your reputation and skill set and find themselves in need of your expertise and advisement for their plans going forward. In otherwords they would like to retain your services and are, quite frankly, offering you the deal of a lifetime with an extremely attractive compensation and benefits package along with a salary of-"

"Save it. I'm not a soldier anymore. I'm just a private citizen now," Walter interrupted. "When I saw the 'I' in RDI on your card I assumed you were another insurance guy with some other policy."

"Mr Stark it wasn't my intent to mislead you. Of course going over your file I read about your wife. I'm sorry for her passing. You have our condolences."

"Thanks," Walter said albeit bitterly. "Look I'm sorry, I'm not interested in any mercenary, clandestine or other similar work at the moment. I appreciate the offer, and you all ain't the first I'veturned down, and I appreciate the drink but save your speech for the next candidate on your list, alright? I'm busy. Have a good day" Finishing the drink he moved to stand up from the table but the mans next words froze him in place.

"What if you could have the chance to bring her back?"

"What?" he growled through clenched teeth. "That's impossible." His hand clenched the empty glass until it started to crack. "I don't know who you are 'Mr Johnson' or who you represent and frankly I don't care. Making jokes like that is in poor taste and I have half a mind to take your proposal and-"

"Mr Stark. Please this isn't a joke." Reaching into his breifcase he pulled out a thick folder and opening it up took a piece of paper out and slid over. "The higher ups thought that negotiations might start poorly. On that peice of paper is an amount they're willing to pay just to have you listen to their offer as a sign of how serious they are about retaining your particular services. Apologies but through their other agents they checked out your financials and came up with that offer. Naturally you'd need to sign some NDAs and boilerplates that are honestly probably thick enough to stop a .50 caliber but this is the type of offer that only comes once in a million lifetimes."

The amount written on the piece if paper was enough to stop him cold. It was enough to cover everything he spent since leaving the military behind and then some. All his wifes treatments and medical bills, funeral expenses, even the cost of keeping his families home and land and then some. It was a ridiculous amount of money to be paid just to hear out their offer, whether he took it or not.

Where these folks crazy? Who throws that kind of money around just to entertain offers? Looking back at the thick file he saw a heavily redacted file on himself. They might be but they obviously had enough pull and clout to learn about him. And from some of the other papers he saw it said a lot of other intriguing things about portals, dimensions and other things.

Were they crazy? Were such things possible? Was he going crazy himself even thinking about the possibility? But if it were true, what then?

Easing slowly back into his seat and raising his glass to get the waitresses attention he said, "all right, Mr Johnson. You have my attention and I'm willing to hear out your employer's offer." They paused as the waitress brought over the new drink and waited until she was out of earshot again. Walt looked at Johnson smiling and couldn't help thinking about old sayings about making deals with devils. "Can you give me a brief summary of what your employers would want from me?"

"That depends. Tell me Mr Stark. What do you know of alternate reality theories?"

"Well, actually that's a fascinating subject..."