She huffed nervously as she stood outside the building, not sure if she wanted to go in. To be honest, Penny thought to herself as she just stood on the spot. I'm not sure if I'm really doing this for myself, or Leonard. She wasn't sure she was cut out for a big-budget film role, having only starred in a few C-movies before, along with several commercials and community plays. Not exactly A-list material. She had seen other audition candidates walking around.

Most of them seemed like they would be much better fits for a movie role. She even recognized a star of a local soap opera. And beside her, was a long line of Cosplayers. People like her fiancé who obviously made the costumes at home, and were trying to impress the talent manager with their knowledge of the character. One particular woman caught her eye. She stood apart from the rest of the group, eyeing them with some degree of contempt. Which made Penny wonder if she was actually a nerd, or desperate like she was. Was this woman willing to go to such lengths to get a part? Penny shook her head at the thought of doing such a thing herself as she passed by the woman.

"Unbelievable," she heard the woman mutter to herself, shaking her head as she did so.

"What's unbelievable?" Penny found herself asking, in spite of herself.

"Actors are supposed to be here," the woman replied with a sigh. "Not fan-boys. I've had enough of them already." The woman scoffed, offending Penny somewhat. After all, if Leonard wasn't working, he would most likely be in that line along with all of those other people. She was so sure of this that she actually swept her gaze across the crowd, double-checking to see if she could see Leonard, or any of his friends. She wouldn't put it past any of them to try and snag a role, or a glimpse of the Heroine, who Leonard had joked about being there to judge on performance.

"Isn't that a bit hypocritical?" Penny asked with a slight shrug, "given what you're wearing?" she continued, as she motioned to the woman's attire with one hand.

"What's wrong with what I'm wearing?" the woman snapped back, raising an eyebrow as she did so.

"Well," Penny said honestly as she folded her arms across her chest. "It's cheap cosplay. Way to much leather and-"

"It's not a cosplay," the woman snipped. "It's a uniform."

"No, trust me," Penny quipped with a small smirk, confident that this woman would never get a part in a movie, given her attitude. "It's a cosplay outfit. My boyfriend, and a couple of his friends wear them all the time. Just not so…" she paused, looking for the right words to use to describe what she was wearing. Sure, the outfit was accurate as far as colour schemes went. But it was also extremely cheap-looking, and under-maintained. She could see several small rips and loose threads around the edges, something Leonard would never have even considered wearing, unless it was what he called a 'battle-worn' look. And even if that was what it was, Penny thought it looked tacky, and not remotely believable. "Tacky," she finished.

"Tacky?" the blonde woman replied, as she folded her arms across her chest. "It's the realest one out there. It is the real Captain Marvel outfit. I am-"

"Right…" Penny quipped, more insulted by this woman's tone towards the line of desperate fans than anything. "We'd all like to think we're going to be Captain Marvel, lady. But that's not gonna happen."

"I am Captain Marvel," the woman snorted as she shifted her stance.

"You mean someone's already cast you?" Penny replied with a slightly surprised tone. In her world, it was unheard of for casting directors to pick actors before the majority of people had gone through an audition. She looked the woman over again, trying to see if she was perhaps joking, or not telling the whole story. Maybe she was pulling a bluff, or perhaps she was actually telling the truth.

"No," the woman sighed, as she turned away. "I am C-"

"If you haven't been cast…" Penny said, with as much tact as she could possibly use, "then you're not-"

"Is this your car?" The woman cut in, pointing to Penny's dinged-up rust bucket. "Not someone else's, is it?" she continued, as she took several steps toward the car.

"Y…Yes, Penny replied sheepishly, unsure if the woman was going to key her beloved vehicle. That was not the case, however. Instead of running a small metal object along the sde of the door, she wrapped her fingers underneath the front end of the car. A smile formed at the woman's lips as she straightened her back fully, much to Penny's surprise. Without even breaking a sweat, the woman was lifting her car, like it was nothing. Penny had to struggle to move a couch, but this woman looked like she was lifting a plastic kiddie chair with one hand.

It was at that moment that Penny truly realized what the woman had been talking about when she had said that she 'was' Captain Marvel. Because she was Captain Marvel. The Avenger. Was standing in front of her, lifting a car like it was a toy. With a look of satisfaction on her face, as a small, awestruck crowd gathered around. Luckily, the Captain had the sense to set Penny's car down gently before turning her attention to the mob of fans and audition candidates. Some of them thrust pieces of paper in her direction. Others asked questions. And one sickly-looking young man tried to cop a feel of her breasts. However, she saw right through him, and swatted away his hand.

"Only one man's allowed to do that," she scolded the man, who was now caressing his wrist, which looked heavily bruised. "And it's not you, buddy." Penny took one more look at the Super-Heroine, then towards the man she had struck before slinking away into the building, hoping to avoid any more awkward situations.

xxx

"….and this," Peter's Tour Guide of the CalTech institute, a young man who had introduced himself as Leonard Hofstadter, said dryly as they entered a room filled with a variety of half-completed projects. "Is my lab. Were we will be doing most of our work," Leonard finished with a slight huff. He had been speaking for the better part of half an hour, so it was understandable. And Peter was anxious to get to work. He only had a few days in Pasadena to complete his work, and help them adjust to the new technology. Peter was sure that they could have figured it out on their own, but the process would go by a lot faster with him being there, to help them along. Basically, he was being paid to be an installation technician.

Of course, Horizon labs hadn't been willing to pay for the cost of his plane ticket, or a hotel room. Because it wasn't 'in the budget,' according to his bosses. He would have flat-out refused, had Carol not agreed to fly him, and told him that she was already being pressured into attending some auditions for her movie. In confidentiality, she had told him that the applicants were being tried for the role of Captain Marvel herself. Or, at least the female ones were. However, they would have no idea going into the audition itself. That way, according to Carol, their efforts would be genuine, and a better depiction of the actor's talents.

"Right," Peter sighed as he moved towards one of several crates that he had brought along with him. "Right, installing the new Elixir generators," he continued as he opened the lid on one of the crates, revealing the device inside. It was of his own invention, save for a few improvements by colleagues. Such as an improved venting system, and a re-wired design that reduced the size by thirty percent. He had accepted the changes without raising a fuss. The main problem he had was with the fact that he was forbidden from claiming the patent on the design for a few more years, due to the sheer mount of politics involved. Apparently, some energy companies were against the idea of temporary unlimited energy for the cost of a few thousand dollars.

"Yeah, yeah," Leonard replied with a slight huff. "I still don't understand why they had to send someone across the continent to do this. A teleconference would have sufficed."

"The bigwigs are set in their ways," Peter shrugged, as he pulled one of the generators out of its travel case. "Besides," he continued, as he hauled the laptop-sized device onto the table, so that it could be seen clearly by his fellow scientist. "If assembled improperly, this puppy could take in enough potential energy to wipe out the block," he said as he reached for a screwdriver, and opened up a small hatch on the side of the generator. Underneath lay a series of interconnected wires. Peter knew what each and every one of them connected to on both ends, but he knew that few would be able to follow the directions, which was why he had a colour-coded system labelled on the inside of the cover he had just removed.

"Seriously?" Leonard asked, as he took a step back.

"Pretty much," Peter replied as he produced the manual, and handed it to the diminutive man standing beside him. "Incorrect wiring can cause a buildup of energy that goes cataclysmic within a few minutes." He chuckled as he remembered the day one of his colleagues had accidentally come across the flaw in the design. Fortunately, Peter had managed to correct it before anything bad had happened. And later tests revealed how dangerous improper wiring could be. "Just follow the instructions to the letter, and you'll all be fine. It's idiot-proof, I can assure you th-"

"Well if it's idiot-proof," a high-pitched, male voice said from the doorway, "then it belongs in engineering. Not-"

"Sheldon!" Leonard hissed, obviously trying to quell the man without raising his voice.

"What?" The man, who was evidently named 'Sheldon' asked. One look at him was all Peter needed in order to get a good judge of his character. He was obviously intelligent, even for a scientist. His clothes were very neatly pressed, telling Peter that they were well taken care of. In addition to the fact that no a hair on his head was out of place, the Superhero was able to determine that he was a germophobe, and most likely had O.C.D. Not bad qualities in a person, but Peter could tell that this man also had an annoying personality, based on how Leonard had reacted to him simply entering the room. "It's a compliment!"

"It is not a compliment," Leonard snapped, under his breath. "Go away Sheldon, we're trying to work." He said, as he turned back around to face Peter, who simply smiled awkwardly. He was certainly no stranger to dealing with difficult personalities. One particular mustached newspaper editor had seen to that. "I'm sorry about him," Leonard apologized profusely, "he's a bit…"

"Crazy?" Peter offered with a slight chuckle.

"I am not crazy," Sheldon replied, as he stepped into the room even further. Leonard let out a groan as he was pushed aside by the man. "My mother had me tested. I can assemble and disassemble any device in this room," he continued, as his hands lashed out towards the generator in Peter's hands. He tried to take it, but was no match for Peter's superior speed, and well-honed reflexes. He managed to close the lid before Sheldon could touch the inner wires, which was a fortunate thing. He had no plans on being blown up.

"You are crazy," Peter said simply, "if you think you can touch those things without setting it off."

"Setting what off?" Sheldon replied, as he was shooed out of the room by Leonard. "Don't push me, Leonard! Ouch! Fine!" he huffed, as he was forced towards the door. "This little device won't even matter," he spat bitterly, causing Peter to raise an eyebrow. "Once my miniaturized black-hole dev-" Peter never got to hear the end of his sentence, as the door slammed shut, cutting him off effectively. Peter sighed, thankful that the man was gone. He had a feeling that 'Sheldon' was the type of person he would have to resist the urge to hit. And Peter knew that if he wanted to hit somebody, they had generally done something to deserve it.

xxx

"He almost blew you up?" Penny asked, as the two of them ascended the staircase, towards their adjacent apartments. Leonard shrugged, just glad he was out of work for the day. It had been rather uneventful, save for when Sheldon had burst into the Lab, and tried to mess with the high-tech generator. "I should-"

"He didn't mean it," Leonard replied with a nervous shrug, "Sheldon's just a little….pushy. I think he's upset that he's got serious competition for a Nobel Prize now."

"I thought he was working on some death ray thingamajig," Penny said as they reached the first landing. "To 'destroy' his enemies."

"Well he re-purposed it," Leonard chuckled as they began their ascension of the second staircase. "Now, it's a black hole generator. He says it's to eliminate waste in a more environmentally friendly way. Personally," Leonard continued with a huff, having had a similar discussion with Raj and Howard numerous times in the past. "I think it's a bit too dangerous, and risky."

"Well aren't you always saying that discovery requires a little risk?" Penny asked innocently, as they reached the second landing. He regretted the fact that he could not get management to fix the elevator. Because if they did, they would discover the real reason it had stopped working. An explosion caused by lit rocket fuel. And the blame would surely fall on him, given how he was the only one in the building who worked with rocket fuel on a regular basis. And because it was his fault. He shuddered at the memory of the North-Korean spy who had slept with him in order to gain access to the recipe. He had truly dodged a bullet there. And that was also why he could not simply stand by and let Sheldon do what he was doing.

"It does," Leonard replied with a nod. "But I don't think it's a good idea for anyone, especially Sheldon, to have the ability to create a black hole wherever he pleases."

"No," Penny agreed with a nod, as they continued their ascension of the stairs. "No, you're right, that would be bad. A worse mistake than the one I made today."

"What mistake did you make today?" Leonard asked innocently enough.

"Well remember how I said I was going to that Captain Marvel audition today?" Penny replied, with a nervous laugh.

"Yeah," Leonard shrugged as they ascended the third staircase.

"Well I may have inadvertently insulted her in the parking lot," His fiancé said, as she fumbled with the keys to her apartment door, which were located in the deep recesses of her purse. "In front of a bunch of people. Great career move, if you ask me," she huffed with despair.

"Well," Leonard replied, trying to find the right words to cheer her up with. "Look at it this way. You managed to make an impression. That's good, right?" The look that she gave him was one of pure scathing frustration. She was definitely not in the mood for any of his attempts at lame humor. He took her mood with a grain of salt, as he entered the apartment he shared with Sheldon, which was across from Penny's. Leonard simply shook his head as he turned the key to his own apartment, wishing that he could spend the night with Penny. Unfortunately, his annoying roommate, who possessed a heart of gold, would be completely lost without him there. He sighed to himself as he stumbled through the living room, barely stopping to speak with Sheldon, who was caught up in the middle of an intense Halo match.

xxxx

"You know," Carol said plainly as she stretched her arms back, over her head. "It's kinda nice here. A good vacation spot, don't you think?" She asked him, as she not-so-subtly flared out her hips.

"Yeah," Peter replied with an honest smirk, as he allowed his eyes to trail up her well-toned body, which was sheathed in a slightly baggy pair of sweatpants, and a T-shirt. Though he knew that she was most famous for her revealing, swimsuit-style attire choices of the past, he considered that to be her best look. Not an imposing figure who both terrified 'Evil-doers' and inspired little girls everywhere, but instead an everyday woman. Though he still thoroughly enjoyed it when she put on one of her older outfits for a one-on-one session with him. "Though having someone nearly blow me up isn't something I want to do on a regular basis."

"And yet," Carol cooed as she sat down next to him on the small bed that they were sharing, "you've never hung up that stupid mask, have you?"

"This 'stupid mask'" he said with a wild smirk as he toyed with a lock of her hair, "got me a date with the most beautiful superheroine I know."

"You really know how to sweet-talk a girl," she replied with a grand smile, as she kissed him on the forehead gently. "Don't you, Mr Parker?"

"My left hand taught me everything," Peter replied as he arched his back and said, "how'd the auditions go today? Did you find the 'right' person for the role?" he asked with honesty, as Carol shrugged slightly.

"Some talent turned up," Carol replied as she leaned backwards on the bed. "But, as you and I both predicted it was mostly horny men trying to get some action. One potential candidate, though," she sighed, as she remembered the morning's events. "Some blonde woman seemed to impress the people there. They're gonna give her a call tomorrow," the blonde bombshell superheroine continued, "and maybe set her up with a one-on-one with me. All I can remember about her is that her name's Penny."

"No last name?" Peter replied with a smirk.

"That piece of information seems to have fallen into a black hole," Carol replied as she hauled him to his feet, "but none of that now. I owe you a date night."