Two days later, Penny was still on cloud nine when a knock sounded at their door. Being extremely happy and overactive the blonde almost skipped to the door to open it.

"Miss Bouvier?" a Private asked.

"Yes?"

"Hello, I'm Private Douglas, but you can call me Richard. I'm part of the recreational team here. We're responsible to make sure everyone receives some distraction."

"Yeah..." Penny encouraged to go on.

"We're doing a play. It's really a bunch of amateurs writing some sketches based on Alice in Wonderland. We're still looking for an Alice and Captain Cooper heard us talking about it. He said we should ask you because he remembers you to be really talented at being an actrice."

"He did?"

"Yes, he was full of praise about your performances." Richard said.

Penny blushed "Oh well, I'm really not that good, I mean, I'm just a wai..."

"Go on Penny, you should take the role." Amy said.

"Yeah! You should." The others agreed.

"Oh alright then." Penny smiled.

"Could you do something for me?" she asked the private.

"Anything for our future star." He smiled.

"Ahem, Sir?" Private Richard said.

"Mmm yes?" Sheldon said without taking his eyes of the map.

"I have a message for you, from Miss Bouvier."

Sheldon's head snapped up, suddenly afraid of hearing a rejection.

"What did she say?" Sheldon demanded in his most authorative voice.

The private tried to not visibly cower away from his superior. The others in the room looked on the scene with surprise. Captain Cooper was always so collected and since when was he interested in someone?

"She said thank you." Richard said.

Sheldon visibly relaxed and even smiled.

"And?"

"A.. And that she... Pardon me Sir, but I quote, that she would be imagining her taking you on that desk you hardly seem to get away from." Private Douglas was extremely red in the face now and didn't dare to look at the Captain.

Sheldon let out his gaspy laugh to the imminent surprise of everyone.

"She did, did she." He smiled. "Thank you for the delivery of her message. You may go."

The others awkwardly shuffled around a bit, until most of the tension desolved. There would be lots of talk tonight at dinner.

Penny was at dinner with Anna. The others were held up by their work when suddenly Anna jumped to attention.

"At ease." Sheldon's voice rumbled behind Penny.

She turned and looked up at her tall man in the most seductive way she could manage.

"Hello..." she said in a low voice "Captain..."

Sheldon leaned forward, placing his hand at Penny's sides on the edge of the table. Noses very close.

"Well hello there, Penny. Didn't see you there for a moment."

They stared into eachothers eyes for a couple of seconds. The temperature was rising.

"Have a nice dinner." Sheldon said with a rough voice. Clearly losing his nerve at trying to be equally as seductive.

"Captain!" Penny yelled after him, Sheldon turned his head "Is any table good enough?" she asked while patting the table where she was sitting.

Sheldon gulped and turned, he felt way out of his league.

Penny frowned, that's the first time she didn't get the response she'd hoped for by doing something like this.

"Oh God." She suddenly remembered Sheldon telling her what he thought of coitus.

"He probably feels very insecure and uncertain about things and here I am pushing him while he doesn't know what to expect. Come on Penny, back off a bit, give him some time."


The next day they woke to the sound of the alarm. They got all dressed in a matter of seconds and ran off to their work places. Penny just ran to Sheldon's work space. It was filled with men and women following computer movements. Sheldon was speaking to the Colonel and other important people.

Anne stood beside her. "What's happening?" Penny asked her friend.

"It has begun... We're in a titanium layered bunker in the safest zone there is in North America, but we will still feel it."

"What are they tracking on the computers?"

"The hits in this area, but also the rest of the world. They're getting signals from every part of the world and they try to make sense in this chaos to know what's exactly going on."

At that moment Sheldon passed her without a glance talking into a phone in... Was that Russian?

"Attention crew!" Nightingale's voice boomed through the speakers "We will feel minor tremblings from earthquakes passing through our area. We're quite safe, but still have to keep an eye out for possible cracks in our structures. Our world as we know it, is finally beginning at its end and hopefully we can all ride it out. The Ice Age is covering most of Canada now and is still growing more south. Earthquakes have ruined the entire West Coast, volcanoes at Hawaii and Yellowstone have erupted. Tornadoes are destructing the East Coast. The President is in a safe place, but most of the White House has been flattened to the ground. We estimate,for now, more than 25 million people who have lost their lives and the death toll will surely escalate. Concentrate on your work, do what you must do and pray for the people out there."

Penny wanted to cry, after almost two weeks of being here, she almost convinced herself of having a normal life. But the reality check came sooner then she thought. People were dying out there! Anna held her hand when they made their way to the cafetaria for breakfast. Not many were there and almost none were eating. Penny couldn't take a bite out of her bread.

"All those people..." she started.

A hand landed on her shoulder, startled she turned.

"Some of them will survive. We must remain strong and carry on. Humanity depends on us. You can do this Penny." Sheldon said with a soft gaze.

"Sheldon..." Penny's voice broke off "Hold me?" she said in an almost childlike voice.

With a little bit of hesitation he nodded and sat down besides her. She crawled into his lap and stuffed her face under his chin. Sheldon awkwardly put his arms around her and stroked her back softly up and down.

"Oh Sheldon..." Penny cried in his shirt.

"There there." He murmured.

Meanwhile Leonard was watching the scene from the entrance with burning eyes and clenching fists.