"Leonard Speaking"
'Leonard Thinking'
Apartment 4A, Pasadena
Sheldon was planning the seating positions for everyone in the apartment. He had invited Paige to the apartment to catch up, something Amy suggested after learning about her. For a while, he was worried that Amy would be disturbed by Paige's presence, but she turned out to be very understanding.
Sheldon looked at the whiteboard, "So, I will sit in my spot, Amy will sit at my left, with Bernadette at her side. Howard and Raj could sit in their usual spots, I will just need to lay out the chairs for them. Penny can sit on the couch and I can lay a final chair beside her for Paige. Ha, problem solved."
Soon, the front door opened and Amy entered the room. She looked around and saw the carefully planned seating arrangement. Raj entered the room followed by Howard and Bernadette. As everyone got seated in their Sheldon-planned spots, Paige appeared in the doorway.
Sheldon stood up from his seat and greeted, "Welcome Paige, please take a seat in your designated spot. I have marked it with a small paper flag with your name on it."
Amy looked at Paige in surprise. Originally, she was excited to meet Sheldon's childhood friend. But Paige's appearance and her apparent closeness with Sheldon during his younger years made her feel a sense of crisis. Before she could process it more, she heard Paige say, "Thank you very much Sheldon. I hope you don't mind a plus one."
As soon as Paige moved away, Leonard came into view. He was wearing a casual brown jacket over a black oxford shirt and trousers. He carried his cane in, smiling at everyone before setting it by the door.
Leonard greeted, "Evening everyone."
Suddenly, Sheldon stood up from his seat in outrage, "Great, now I have to replan the seating arrangements."
Leonard said, "You don't have to worry about that Sheldon. I can find myself a seat."
Sheldon remarked, "Oh, you could…but then I will have to turn to you to speak. What if you find a seat behind me?"
Paige giggled at that, "Don't worry Sheldon, social conventions dictate that you cannot sit behind someone in a casual gathering if there are any seats available in front. I really doubt that Leonard would sit behind you."
Sheldon stopped before agreeing, "I suppose. Besides, I don't understand why he accompanied you. He hasn't been to this place since he came back from his sabbatical, yet he decided to come as soon as you come to this place."
Paige looked at Leonard, receiving a nod from him. Howard remarked, "Well, they are having silent conversations. It really doesn't look good for Penny."
Paige smiled and answered, "Leonard met me in Vegas about five months ago. We have been in touch ever since. He is a brilliant man."
Bernadette whispered, "Did they get married in Vegas?"
Sheldon looked befuddled, "I don't understand. Leonard should have been on his sabbatical at that time."
Paige answered, "He was. We met at a conference there. His understanding of quantum systems was amazing. Quite poetic for a physicist."
Leonard grinned, "I suppose, but your lecture was equally fascinating."
Sheldon seemed to accept that explanation. As the two sat down, Penny arrived at the apartment, still wearing her Cheesecake Factory uniform. As she approached to pick her plate, she noticed Paige and Leonard.
Penny greeted, "Hey Leonard, how have you been? And who is this?"
Sheldon hurriedly introduced, "Penny, this is Dr. Paige Swanson, a particle physicist at CERN. We grew up together in Texas."
Paige remarked, "I would say, we spent our first years in Texas. Both of us quickly went to colleges outside the country. I decided to go to Sweden due to my parents' divorce. We both graduated pretty quickly."
Penny stilled, "Oh. I'm sorry for bringing this up."
Paige waved her off, "Oh don't worry about it. I brought it up myself. It was quite a while ago."
Penny asked, "Hey, isn't that where Leonard was about to take me?"
Leonard answered, "Yeah. I had to take Raj because you and Sheldon caught the flu."
Penny asked, "So, how is CERN?"
Paige answered, "It's quite good. We do have a lot of work, but I finish my work very early in the year. Then I attend conferences and seminars around the world."
Penny smiled, "You must have met many great people."
Paige agreed, "That's true, I met Leonard at one such conference. He is the most remarkable scientist I know, and I know several Nobel Prize winners."
Sheldon straightened at that, "Hey wait a minute. How can you say that? You have met me haven't you?"
Paige smiled, "I have met you, but I did not meet you as a scientist. I met you as a kid. You won a lot of science awards before twenty, but nothing else after that. Maybe you have plateaued. Leonard hasn't published his latest research, but after meeting him, I read his papers on Experimental Physics, his collaborative works with numerous scientists. And his research, even unpublished one, is something truly extraordinary."
Sheldon was outraged, "Oh like what?"
The entire group was curious about it. Leonard had suddenly broken up with Priya and went on his sabbatical. Despite their usual goofy antics, everyone, except Penny, was a well-qualified scientist. Their keen sense made them detect the presence of some secrets. Penny looked blankly at that. She was not scientifically inclined to research, but she was somewhat interested. Paige looked at Leonard with an expression that said 'tell them.'
Leonard sighed and explained, "I have created quantum based sensors. I used them on a medical robot. The robot can detect anything wrong with the body. From skin issues, muscles, bones to cells, and even DNA anomalies. In simple words, if you have a tumour, the robot can tell you everything about its nature. It can even think and simulate methods to fix the tumour."
Everyone was dumbfounded at that. The invention was phenomenal to life changing, not just in the scientific field, but also in daily life. Sheldon scoffed, "So what. It is still a medical device."
Amy explained to Sheldon, "Sheldon, Leonard's invention is truly amazing. Think, now, you don't need to draw blood or do medical tests. If the robot can tell the disease with just a look, the efficiency of doctors will increase exponentially."
Leonard remarked, "True, though it is not like an MRI machine. It is more like the medical droids that fixed Anakin Skywalker after he was burned at Mustafar."
Now, the group was truly excited, even Sheldon. For the boys, Star Wars was like a gospel. Anything related to it excited them. If Leonard's robot was like a medical droid, they wanted to see it.
Sheldon said, "I call dibs on it."
Howard complained, "You can't call dibs on a medical droid."
Sheldon explained uncaringly, "Leonard was my roommate for eight years. Of course I can call dibs."
Leonard shook his head, "Not this time. I need it for my health and well being. You won't believe how unhealthy I was before I invented MedBud."
Bernadette asked, "Do you plan to sell it? My company would be really interested in it."
Leonard refused, "No. It is not ready for mass production yet. Maybe later."
Penny suddenly remembered something, "Oh, I remembered something. I brought your mail. Apparently, this apartment is still listed as your mailing address. The letter looked important so I brought it to the apartment. Luckily, you are already here."
Leonard took a thin, white envelope from Penny before taking a look. His happy mood turned somber as his eyes became sharp and serious. Sheldon quickly snatched the letter and tore it open. Without waiting, he quickly read it and handed it to Leonard, "It is a court order. You are to appear before the Federal Court in New York City in a civil case regarding suspicious financial activities in the Stock Exchange. It seems you are being accused of insider trading."
Everyone gasped at that. Leonard did not have much dealings with the stock market and being suddenly accused of insider trading was preposterous. The group looked at Leonard, expecting a panicked expression. But Leonard was not looking at them. His eyes bore into Sheldon in an imperious gaze. Sheldon looked at Leonard, holding his gaze for a couple of seconds, before shivering slightly.
Leonard bit out, "Sheldon, I expected some change in you after six months. But it seems like you are more similar to my mother. This is the last warning I give you, never meddle in my private affairs. Or you will be very sorry by the end of it."
Leonard's freezing tone terrified the group. His entire aura changed from warm,and friendly to that of a predator. For the first time in years, Sheldon felt scared of Leonard. While his intellectual brain told him that Leonard would not attack him, every other instinct in his body seemed to suggest otherwise.
Paige looked worriedly at Leonard. She asked, "Is it that Axelrod guy?"
Leonard answered, "Who else would it be? He must have used his moles in the SEC to report my trades as 'suspicious trading behaviour.' But don't worry, I am ready for him."
Raj said, "Don't worry Leonard. I'll help you arrange a great lawyer. Money will not be an issue at all."
Leonard gave him a reassuring smile, "Don't worry Raj. I have it under control."
The others moved to say something but Leonard suddenly stood up, "While I would have loved to catch up, this letter forces me to cut short our evening. It was nice seeing you all."
Paige quickly dressed herself in her coat before saying, "I am sorry too. Thank you for inviting me, Sheldon. We will catch up later."
The two quickly left the apartment, their steps matching in tempo and purpose. The group stood there, dumbfounded. Penny asked, "I understand that Leonard got court summons for an accusation, but why is he so worried?"
Howard explained, "As a scientist, reputation is very important for him, and everyone connected to him. If he was accused of something small, like a traffic violation, it would not be that big. But insider trading can suggest many things like embezzlement, misappropriation of funds and a whole slew of major crimes. As a scientist, he would no longer be eligible for grants, the government would not trust him with any projects, anything he publishes will be looked at like it is a scam. In other words, his scientific career will be over. Moreover, it will affect everyone he is connected to."
Penny spoke, "That sounds bad."
Raj interjected, "It is really bad. We need to help him."
Sheldon said, "He looks like he had it under control."
Howard said, "We might be asked to testify. That will happen later, but we must make sure not to say anything damaging. Especially you Sheldon. You have a habit of throwing people under the bus, whenever it is your reputation at stake."
Sheldon grumbled as the group ate their food in silence.
Burbank, Los Angeles
Leonard accompanied Paige to his house, his mind going slightly haywire. He had expected Axelrod to pull something like this, but the fact that a so-called philanthropist billionaire could be so petty made his blood boil.
Under Paige's worried gaze, he took out his phone and dialed Mike, "Mike, the situation has changed. We have a code black now. I have to appear in court in New York in about a month. Contact Louis and tell him to be ready. I want him in this case. Call Mr. Robot as well. Even if I am attacked by a giant, I will make sure the giant regrets ever approaching me."
Paige and Leonard sat on the couch in the living room. Leonard took deep breaths before turning to Paige, "See. This is why Chaldea was so important. I hoped to help scientists with our organization, but I became the first one to need this help."
Paige looked him in the eyes and said, "Leonard, Chaldea is your brainchild. It lives because you decided to protect people like us. Now, if you need our help, there is no way that we wouldn't help you."
Her hands touched the sides of his face, their warmth giving a small ounce of comfort. The two looked deeply into each other's eyes. Paige saw respect, thankfulness, slight frustration, but the primary emotion was not anger or despair, but rather determination. Leonard saw support, admiration and warmth in her eyes.
Soon, the distance between them turned to zero as their lips met for the first time. The kiss was not rough or passionate, but slow. As they separated, they realized that something had shifted between them. But neither of them disliked the shift as they unconsciously smiled.
Next Morning, Caltech
Leonard straightened his tie, brushing the metaphorical dust off his coat. His hand patted his pocket where a single letter was tucked. His hand gave a swift knock on the door as he heard a muffled 'come in' from the inside.
Leonard opened the door into Director Siebert's office, snapping the director out of his work rhythm.
Seibert greeted, "Good morning Leonard, do you need something?"
Leonard did not speak, his serious expression stumped Seibert. He gently pulled out the chair and sat in front of the director.
Leonard began, "Director Seibert, I would have to resign from the university."
Seibert's breath hitched. He quickly asked, "What?Why? Is there any problem? If it is a problem with grants or any personal issue, I would wholeheartedly support you."
Leonard smiled but his expression stopped Seibert. He asked worriedly, "What happened?"
Leonard said, "Yesterday, I got summons to New York, asking me to appear before the Federal court to answer for accusations of insider trading."
Seibert was outraged, "How ridiculous! You don't have dealings with the stock market. And even if you did, just accusing you without any prior investigation is totally out of order."
Leonard interrupted, "I know. These accusations are false, but this taints my reputation. Once this trial happens, anyone I am connected to will be dragged into the dirt. Caltech has been my home for the past eight years. I don't want the university to be dragged into a corporate suit. This is a place of learning, where science and knowledge holds weight. If it gets tainted just for its connection to me, I would feel like a sinner. So Director Seibert, please accept this resignation. Let's meet again someday."
Seibert accepted the letter, but before Leonard left the office, he said, "Leonard, you are a brilliant scientist, with a bright future. Maybe this university was a step in your journey, but I hope you always remember the years you spent on this step fondly."
Leonard did not turn but nodded, exiting the room simultaneously. As he exited, his eyes sharpened as he thought of Bobby Axelrod. He knew that this person was just the first step in Chaldea's long struggle, but he was determined to make everyone recall this when dealing with Chaldea.
Leonard whispered, "Bobby Axelrod, you wanted to test me, but your test will come soon. Then the people would know to never mess with Chaldea."
AN: A sincere thanks to all my patrons. Your support has been instrumental in motivating me to write. This arc will end in about eight or nine chapters. Stay tuned.
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