Chapter 11: Penultimate
Leonard groaned, his head feeling as though a freight train hit him at ten thousand miles per hour. Moving slightly, he hissed as a sharp pain stretched through the back of his skull. Seeing his glasses, the experimental scientist grabbed them and placed them over his eyes. Blinking, Leonard saw what Venom left in her wake, the roof heavily damaged with Howard and Raj sprawled across the ground. He also realized that it was night, as evident by the moonlight shining across the sky.
Seeing his friends not moving, Leonard immediately raced towards them. "Raj?" Leonard asked in concern, noticing that dried blood formed near the Indian's mouth. After not receiving a response, the experimental physicist shook his friend forcefully. "Raj?! Raj, wake up!" Leonard begged desperately and sighed in relief when the astrophysicist coughed wildly.
After his coughing fit, Raj looked up to his friend in confusion. "Leonard?" Raj asked weakly before releasing a rough cough. "W-What happened?" He finished as the experimental physicist helped him to his feet.
Leonard sighed in despair. "From what I can conclude, the symbiote took control of Penny and our asses got kicked." He summarized, which earned a humorless chuckle from Raj.
"Kicked? Our asses got stomped, dude." The Indian corrected before looking around in concern. "Howard!" Raj exclaimed as he and Leonard raced towards the engineer's side, who was clutching his nose and moaning on the ground. "Howard! Are you okay?!" Raj asked, though his question earned him a glare from the Jewish man.
"Does it look like I'm okay?" Howard snapped before releasing a pained groan. "I think my nose is broken." He stated as both Leonard and Raj helped him to his feet.
"Oh come on, it shouldn't be that bad." Leonard insisted, though both he and Raj flinched at Howard's broken mess of a nose. Blood continues to drip down from his nostrils as the cartilage in his nose was shifted to the right.
"You were saying?" Howard remarked as Raj moved closer for a better look.
"We could move it back in place." The Indian suggested, though Howard knew one thing that can happen. This is gonna suck. Nodding his head yes, Raj placed his fingers on Howard's nose. Given the signal to move forward by a nod, the astrophysicist turned the nose back into place, much to Howard's obvious pain.
"Son of a bitch!" Howard yelled, immediately jumping back from Raj as he held his injured nose. Tracing his fingers, Howard knew he still needed medical attention but for now, Raj did a good job. Sighing in relief, the engineer turned to Raj. "Thanks." He said sincerely as the Indian nodded his head in response.
With those two okay, Leonard realized that one was still missing. "Sheldon?" He asked, the three turning around to discover that the eccentric scientist was nowhere to be found. Panicking, Leonard and the guys began shouting Sheldon's name as they searched the roof but he was gone. With things gone disastrously wrong, Leonard finally snapped and screamed on the top of lungs before falling to his knees in defeat.
Howard and Raj look at Leonard with concern, but they too now realize the situation is hopeless. Sighing, the astrophysicist and engineer sat next to Leonard feeling they should feel this agony together. Howard gave a glance at the back of the experimental physicist's head before turning to Leonard. "You know, you're bleeding in the back." Howard said, getting the other man's attention. Leonard traced his finger to the stinging pain he felt earlier at the back of his head before feeling something sticky. He pulled his fingers in front of him and confirmed that yes he is bleeding slightly.
Leonard groaned slightly as he wiped the fingers on the protection suit that Sheldon made for them. "I didn't notice. I was too busy realizing that my best friend and the love of my life are gone forever." The experimental physicist replied in a defeated tone, as Raj looked at the two of them.
"Guys, what are we going to do?" Raj asked, the Indian scared that they almost died at the hands of the alien.
Howard shook his head. "We need to call someone. CIA, FBI, Mulder and Scully, anything that can bring Penny and the alien in." The engineer reasoned before releasing a groan of pain. "Then we go to the hospital, because right now I feel like I have internal bleeding." Howard added, spitting out blood.
Raj nodded his head. "I agree. Leonard?" The Indian turned to Leonard, whoever the other man was lost in thought. "Leonard?" Raj repeated, though the glasses-wearing man didn't respond. Concerned, the astrophysicist looked to Howard. "Is he okay?" He asked as the engineer gave a shrug.
"Maybe he's lost it." Howard considered before Leonard suddenly stood up and picked up the reconfigured tracker. The experimental physicist reversed the device to its original frequency and looked at his two friends, his face filled with new-filled determination.
"We save Penny and Sheldon, like the original plan." Leonard stated, though his friends had other thoughts.
"Are you crazy?!" Raj exclaimed.
"Have you lost your mind?! Did you not remember we got our collective asses handed to us?!" Howard reminded. "Also, all of us are injured and bleeding. If anything we need to call professionals!" The engineer reasoned, hoping Leonard would see logic.
"And then what?" Leonard retorted. "Let's say they believe us that aliens existed, how long will it take to come here? Will they bother saving Penny and Sheldon?" He yelled back. "In fact the more time we sit here arguing, the more we lose Penny to that monster and Sheldon's life is at stake!" Leonard screamed, silencing both his friends. Calming down, Leonard exhaled before continuing. "They depend on us, guys. Sheldon trusted us to help him. I'd say…" Before he finished, he also picked up the sonic blaster from the ground. "…We end this, once and for all."
After listening to his speech, Howard sighed. "We're probably going to die." He stated, sharing a concerned look with Raj. Regardless, he placed the flamethrower back in his hands as Raj picked up the other sonic blaster. "Alright, so what's the plan? How do we find them?" Howard asked the million-dollar question.
For the first time that seemed like an eternity, Leonard grinned as he proudly held the tracker in his hands. "We drive through Pasadena. And we don't stop until we get a hit on this."
Sheldon groaned in pain before coughing. Wearily, he opened his eyes and realized that he wasn't on top of the apartment anymore. Instead, he appeared to be in a building that's under construction. Looking ahead, the theoretical physicist sees scaffolding nearby the building whose wall wasn't even built yet. He attempted to move but found that all four of his moving limbs were webbed together against a wall. In a vain attempt, Sheldon tried to break free but failed.
Suddenly his attention was diverted elsewhere as he heard three consecutive knocks in a row. "Sheldon." The voice of Penny echoed all around him, as the knocks were repeated though they were closer. "Sheldon." Penny's voice continued, the knocks now extremely nearby. "Sheldon." The voice mocked as Sheldon resumed his struggle to free himself.
"If you are toying with me, I suggest you appear. Your vain attempt is already boring me." Sheldon shouted, hoping to sound as brave and fearless as possible. All he got as a response was a warped, demented laugh of Penny's voice as Venom dropped down from the ceiling mere feet away from him.
"Is this better?" Venom asked in a mocking tone, brandishing her razor sharp teeth for Sheldon to be frightened. It seemed to work slightly as the lanky man gulped but glared back as bravely as he could.
"Release Penny." Sheldon demanded which earned another mocking cackle from the monster.
Why should we? She belongs with us, after all what you said to her. That she's nothing more but a waitress to deliver your hamburger." Venom sneered, her response causing Sheldon to sigh.
"Penny if you are still in there, listen to me! If there is one aspect of your personality that I admire and detest, it is your persistence. Fight the symbiote! You are stronger than it!" Sheldon screamed as Venom shook her head mockingly.
"Penny isn't here right now. Here, it is just you and Venom." The monster replied, walking closer as she brandished her claws. "And we feel now it is payback for all those months of torture, Doctor Cooper." Venom added, slowly dragging her claws across Sheldon's chest. The captured scientist could only scream in agony as Venom was enjoying every second of it.
It was a miracle that Leonard didn't get a speeding ticket by now. After his rally cry on the roof, the guys raced back to his car where they sped all across Pasadena, hoping that the tracker would pick anything up. It was almost an hour now and hope once again began to fade. Raj, who was holding the tracker, sighed heavily. "Maybe they left the city." The Indian assumed the worst though Leonard wasn't hearing any of it.
"I don't care, we keep looking." Leonard replied, turning another sharp corner as he ignored the blatant middle finger that was shown at him by another driver. Nodding, Raj resumed using the tracker as Leonard went through the backstreets.
Howard, who was in the backseat, leaned forward. "Raj has a point. What if the symbiote left Pasadena with Penny and is halfway across the country by now?" The engineer asked as Leonard's grip on the wall tightened.
"They didn't." Leonard tersely replied, keeping his eyes on the road as he passed the tenth red light in a row.
"But what if they did? Leonard, we're just three guys. We can't compete with that monster." Howard added, though the experimental physicist had enough. Suddenly, he stomped on the breaks, sending the car to a screeching halt as he looked back to Howard.
"And what do you want to do? Give up?" Leonard asked harshly. "If you want to go home, then go. I'll save them both by myself if I have to." He stated, his voice being softer as he leaned his head forward on the steering wheel in pure exhaustion, both mentally and physically.
Howard sighed. "Some day, isn't it?" He asked, the question causing Leonard to laugh as the entire trauma they endured was in the space of twenty-four hours.
"Yeah, yes it is." Leonard replied, his voice now calm as a silence spread throughout the car. The quietness would have continued until the tracker suddenly beeped in Raj's hands. Like a flame in the darkness, hope was rekindled as all three looked at the device with renewed purpose. Without another word spoken, Leonard immediately shifted the gear into drive and raced towards the signal.
After ten minutes, Leonard followed the signal until stopping the car in front of a building that is still under construction. Turning off the vehicle, the three readied the weapons as they entered the construction site. As they neared the building, the stopped walking when they heard agonizing screaming coming from the 7th floor. "What the hell is that?" Howard asked, before Leonard shushed him to hear more closely.
Another scream echoed, though this time Leonard paled. "It's Sheldon." He confirmed. "Come on, we don't have much time." The experimental physicist urged as the three raced inside. Taking the stairs, the three slowed as Sheldon's screams became louder. As they reached the 6th floor, the three crouched and formed a plan. "Okay. What we do is we save Penny and Sheldon. If we fail, we probably won't make it out of this one like we did in the apartment." Leonard explained, with Howard and Raj nodding their heads. Howard, despite being Jewish, performed a Christian cross as all three slowly and tentatively made their way up the stairs to the 7th floor. As soon as they reached their destination, all three looked around the corner and almost gasped in horror.
They see Venom gleefully raking at Sheldon, her pleasure in this situation evident by the warped, psychotic laughter. As for the theoretical physicist, he was currently trapped as the top of his uniform was completely torn off. His bare chest was filled with deep claw marks as blood dripped from his body like a faucet. Sheldon's face was pale as a ghost, his eyes the sight of a defeated man. "Just… just finish it." Sheldon begged, finally Venom ending her torture.
"Oh, we will." She promised, grabbing Sheldon by the throat as she raised her other claw. "And we will enjoy this." She added, roaring as Sheldon closed his eyes ready for the final blow.
Suddenly, the guys walked straight into the room. "Hey!" Leonard yelled, getting Venom's attention as the monster snarled and turned to the newcomers. "Remember us?" Leonard asked as he and Raj immediately fired their sonic blasters. Venom jumped to the ceiling as the sonic vibrations impacted the webbing that trapped Sheldon, setting him free. Leonard immediately raced towards Sheldon and caught the lanky man in his arms.
Opening his eyes, Sheldon looked at Leonard with shock. "Leonard?" He asked weakly as the other man nodded.
"Yeah buddy, I'm here." Leonard replied, tears of relief forming in his eyes.
Sheldon gave a weak laugh. "You came for me." He whispered as Leonard nodded.
"Of course I did." The shorter man responded as a grin stretched his face. "Besides, I need someone to remind me if I broke the Roommate Agreement." Leonard attempted to joke as Sheldon gave a miniscule grin in return. The moment didn't last though as Venom gave a screeching roar from the ceiling.
"Not that I'm interrupting, but we got an issue." Howard reminded as Leonard nodded. The physicist helped move the injured Sheldon to a nearby wall, keeping him out of harm's way before Leonard re-joined with Raj and Howard, pointing their weapons at the ceiling.
"You shouldn't be here." Venom hissed. "Leave now. Our vengeance is with Doctor Cooper alone." The monster offered, but the three refused to leave Sheldon's side.
"You want to get to him, you go through us." Leonard retorted, glaring at the monster.
"Yeah! Back away from Sheldon, you bitch!" Raj quipped, Howard and Leonard internally grinning at the Aliens reference.
Venom snarled. "Fine, then you will die with him!" She snarled as she launched a webline from one of her hands, intending on grabbing one of the scientists. Remarkably, the three avoided the attempted grab as Raj and Howard fired their sonic weapons at the ceiling. Venom leaped to the other side as Howard attempted to scorch the alien with the flamethrower. The monster screeched as part of the symbiote was burned, going into the corner for it to reform. Sheldon watched the battle that was happening in front of him before noticing a large metal pipe and dynamite used for demolition ten feet away from him. Not having the strength to stand, Sheldon dragged himself across the ground, intending of getting those to fight the monster.
After the symbiote recovered from the attacks, Venom snarled as she pounced at Howard, slicing the flamethrower in two. Grabbing Howard, the monster planned to kill the engineer but in its rage forgot Leonard and Raj. The two saved their friend and blasted Venom with their sonic blasters, the monster screeching in pain as the symbiote's hold on Penny began to weaken. The blonde's face was seen, screaming in pain as the symbiote desperately attempted to cling on.
Suddenly, a large black tendril shot out, swiping both Leonard and Raj to the ground. With their assault stopped, the symbiote fully reattached itself to Penny as Venom stalked towards them, claws ready for the kill. Leonard made a grab for the sonic weapon but was stopped by Venom, the monster grabbing the experimental physicist by his throat. The defenseless man thought for sure he would die before something unexpected happened.
Suddenly, Venom began to screech as she let go of Leonard, stumbling back. The monstrous mask shifted back and fourth as the guys see Penny struggling for dominance. "Get… Off… Of…ME!" Penny screamed, trying to pry the alien off her body. With the struggle happening, Sheldon swiped at Venom with the metal pipe at the expense of all the strength he had left. The physicist's legs gave out from under him as Venom was knocked back, giving Raj and Leonard the time to get the sonic weapons. The monster would only screech before the two blasted at Venom with the settings on high, pinning the alien monstrosity against the wall. Both Leonard and Raj continued their assault as the guys noticed Penny and the symbiote were on the verge on separating, both parties screaming in pain.
Giving Howard his sonic blaster to take his place and help Raj pin the symbiote to the wall, Leonard moved forward and grabbed Penny's free arm. The experimental physicist pulled but the symbiote was still determined to hold on. Seeing their friend struggle, Howard, Raj, and Sheldon all grabbed to each other and helped Leonard with pulling Penny free. Eventually like taking off a sticker, the symbiote's hold weakened as Penny was finally pulled out, the five stumbling back to the ground. Leonard groaned as Penny fell on top of him, though that pain was supplanted by a smile.
"Hey." Leonard whispered, happy to see Penny's beautiful face again.
"Hey." Penny repeated, not noticing that without the symbiote, she was completely naked. Their moment was ended as the five turned to see the alien parasite growling. The black, almost tentacle like creature loomed over them like a terrifying monster. The alien roared and attempted to attack them, though Leonard and Howard forced it back by a blast with their sonic weapons.
With the creature in pain, Sheldon lit a pile of dynamite in his hands and glared at the creature one, last time. Throwing it with any amount of strength left, the explosives got caught into the alien's mass. The symbiote could only screech in horror as the dynamite exploded, engulfing the alien in a fiery explosion. The five covered their eyes from the intensity as they looked on in the aftermath, glancing at the charred remains of what used to be the alien.
Sheldon grinned. "It's over." He whispered, as Leonard gave a hearty pat on the shoulder to the lanky man.
"Yeah, it's gone." Leonard added, smiling as Sheldon gave one in return.
Penny coughed, getting their attention. "I'm thankful and all, but I really need some clothes." She stated, using her arms to cover her breasts and crouch while blushing like a tomato.
Leonard reddened as well, seeing her this bare-skinned. "All right, lets go home." He offered, glad that things are finally over.
