End's Beginning – Chapter 3

Penny smiled as she once again circled the small office, looking at all the tubes, wires, and valves. Despite Leonard saying it could be busy here at night, tonight was not one of those nights. There were no sounds in this part of the building except for her soft footfalls.

A small gleam caught here eye. Propped on a shelf, leaning against the wall, were two burnt, melted, and twisted figurines: a silver cylon and Superman.

Laughing, Penny picked them up and examined them. "I know there's got to be a story behind this," Penny said as she rotated them this way and that. "I'm definitely going to ask Leonard."

Due to the fiery damage they sustained, they couldn't stand on their own. Penny once again propped them against the wall, returning them to their safe little cluster.

Further down the shelf, stood a carved wooden cow with a tiny bell around its neck.

"Aww! That is so sweet! Leonard brought one for himself!"

Penny smiled. From his trip to Switzerland, Leonard returned with a suitcase full of souvenirs for her: refrigerator magnets, chocolates; a gift box of cheeses; a t-shirt that read 'Swiss Miss'; a cuckoo clock; and hidden under all the novelty items, a stunning ruby and diamond bracelet. And also among the gifts, was a wooden cow with garland of beautifully carved and painted flowers around her neck. This one was identical except in lieu of the flowers, there was a bell.

She touched the tiny silver bell with a wiggling fingertip. It resonated with a delicate, clear, ting-a-ling. The soft little jingling noise floated around her hand.

The sound was enchanting. She rang it again.

As if in response, from somewhere deep in the twisting hallways, she heard Leonard's unmistakable voice ricocheting through the corridors. It was distant, but clear and commanding, filled with urgency.

"PENNY! GET OUT OF THE BUILDING NOW! HURRY!"

Startled, Penny stood frozen to the spot, her heart pounding in her chest.

It took a few seconds to recover from the shock. Penny regained her composure and put her hand over her heart trying to control her breathing.

"Leonard! This isn't funny!"

She ran to the door expecting to see him come smiling up the hallway.

"Leonard!"

Silence.

Without warning, the scream of a fire alarm shattered the quiet and raced through the hallways. The strobe effect of the emergency lights and the calm of a computer voice created a sense of unreality.

'An emergency condition exists that requires your immediate attention. Please proceed to the nearest exit.'

The competing sounds of the mechanical voice and the shrieking alarm were deafening. Penny covered her ears.

"What in the hell is going on?! Leonard!"

'An emergency condition exists that requires your immediate attention. Please proceed to the nearest exit.'

And then, explosion.

Penny watched as flash of brilliant white light filled the corridor just as she heard a thunderous roar. The building convulsed. She was tossed around in the doorway and had to fight to keep her balance. The little cow that she had been holding fell from her hand. In a matter of seconds, the heaving and rolling finally ended and the building settled with a groan.

"Oh my, God!"

'An emergency condition exists that requires your immediate attention. Please proceed to the nearest exit.'

Finally spurred into action, Penny darted from the doorway and ran into the hall. Fumes and ash filled the corridor as black smoke silently gathered at the ceiling.

This can't be happening! This can't be happening! Oh my, God! This can't be happening! Where's the exit?! Where's the exit?! I didn't pay attention when we came in …

'An emergency condition exists that requires your immediate attention. Please proceed to the nearest exit.'

Debris littered her path as Penny ran through the maze of hallways. She began to feel a sense of panic. Some of the corridors came to dead end. In others, she saw no exits, just rows of doors. All were locked as she frantically tried to turn the knobs.

The exit … the exit … where is that exit?

She passed the large intersection where just minutes ago she had spun happily in circles. Now she saw the destruction. One of the corridors was almost fully blocked with a part of the ceiling that had collapsed. Orange flames reached up into the chasm that had opened up the second floor. She turned and ran.

'An emergency condition exists that requires your immediate attention. Please proceed to the nearest exit.'

Penny turned down another corridor and saw an open door, a light from within was streaming in to the hallway. Finally! Outside maybe? An open exit?

As she ran to it, she recognized it. Her heart sank.

Leonard's office.

"No!"

She had come full circle, back to where she started.

'An emergency condition exists that requires your immediate attention. Please proceed to the nearest exit.'

The black smoke was thicker now. The fumes had made her dizzy and she felt her chest tighten.

"This cannot be happening! Leonard! Help me!"

And, just then, someone grabbed her wrist.

Surprised, Penny turned fully expecting to see Leonard standing there.

It was a woman from the night cleaning crew. Penny could tell by her uniform. Holding a cloth over her nose and mouth, she spoke urgently in rapid fire Spanish. She removed a second cloth from the front pocket of her suit and handed it to Penny indicting that she should do the same.

Taking Penny by the hand, she led the way.

Together they ran out of building and into the safety of the night.

...

A/N - Just have a question: Is there anyone out there reading this story? If so, please review, comment, or criticize. Anything will be welcomed. I haven't heard anything back and I just want to make sure I'm not wasting my time and FanFiction bandwidth.