A/N: Now that the prologue is done, it's time for the actual story to begin. I added some details from the unaired pilot of The Big Bang Theory and combined them with the original pilot episode. I also added some more people to the cast, with Scott as Howard, Sam as Raj, and Zoey as Penny.
Four months later, Mike was feeling much better. Ever since Cameron cured him, he was a new person. He stopped cutting himself every night and he was no longer wearing that belt of his. Cameron even encouraged him to get some actual furniture for the apartment.
Mike also met Scott Westfield and Sam Reagan, two of Cameron's friends. Since then, the four guys hang out at the apartment on a regular basis. But everything was about to change for them one night.
"It's about time you guys showed up!" Mike said as Scott and Sam arrived.
"Geez, sorry we were late," Scott said. "We ran into some homeless girl on the way over here."
"What do you mean by 'some homeless girl'?" Cameron asked.
"She was sitting right outside the apartment," Sam explained.
"Didn't you help her?" Cameron asked.
"Why?" Scott asked in response. "It's not my problem to worry about homeless girls."
Mike was starting to look nervous. "Can we just forget about the opposite gender?" he asked. "I borrowed a copy of Iron Man 2 from the library this morning, and I want all of us to see it tonight. After this, we'll be ready to see The Avengers."
"Can we just forget about the movie for right now?" Cameron asked. "There's a homeless girl sitting outside! We have to help her!"
"Why?" Mike asked. "We don't know her. Let her worry about her own things."
Cameron noticed Mike was rubbing the back of his head, something he normally does when he gets nervous.
"Mike, are you afraid of talking to girls?" Cameron asked.
"No," Mike explained. "Just the ones outside my family."
"I think I can fix that," Cameron said.
The next thing Mike knew, the guys locked him out of the apartment.
"Very funny, Cameron!" Mike called out. "Now let me back in!"
"Not until you talk to the girl!" Cameron said from inside the apartment.
Mike groaned in frustration. "Fine!" he said. "I'm going!"
When Mike was outside, he saw the homeless girl sitting on the curb. Her short red hair was done in pigtails and a strip of dark red fabric was tied around her head. There were black paint marks under her brown eyes and she was wearing some kind of tracking collar around her neck. She was wearing a dark red tube top that was severely torn, pale green capris pants, and tan wedged sandals. She also had a pink plastic flower barrette in her hair.
Mike cleared his throat as he approached the girl. "Can I help you?" he asked.
"No," the girl said. "You can't help me. No one can."
"Are you sure?" Mike asked. "You look like a wreck."
"I'm not blind," the girl said. "I was forced to serve this rich tyrant ever since I was born. I ran away last week, but he's been secretly following me thanks to this stupid piece of metal."
"Can't you just take it off?" Mike asked.
"Not without getting zapped," the girl explained. "I think I lost him, but it won't be long before he finds me again."
Mike felt bad for her. He didn't know her, but for the first time in his life, he had to help her. "Do you want to stay over for the night?" he asked. "I think one of my friends can deactivate your tracking collar."
"Really?" the girl asked.
"Really," Mike replied. "My name's Mike, by the way."
"Zoey," the girl said as she stood up. "Zoey Maple."