"Sheldonopolis…"

Summary: In a dystopic future, Humanity's last hope is the visionary metropolis created by the genius of grand Administrator Sheldon Cooperson and Rotwolowitz, the inventor...But is it a paradise or a Sheldonesque version of Hell? And can a savior from the waitressing ranks of its cloned workers change its future?

Sheldon Cooperson, the Master of Sheldonopolis… Dr. Sheldon L. Cooper

Calvin Cooperson, his son…

Senator Hofstadter, opposition leader…

Councilor Firme, 2031 Councilor …

Clark… Dr. Leonard Hofstadter

Rotwolowitz, the inventor…

Tom Rossikivich, aide to Warren Rick Howard, the engineer

Hel… Dr. Bernadette Rostenkowski

Amy, nervous Chief Assistant to the Master of Sheldonopolis… Dr. Amy Farrah Fowler

Penny/Futura, her android double…

The Creative Person…

Death…

The Seven Deadly Sins… Penny, the waitress

The Thin Man… Name withheld by request

Male Worker clones… Howard, the engineer

Grotta, chief clone supervisor for the Heart machine…Female worker clones… Dr. Bernadette Rostenkowski

Georgy…

September, mysterious owner of Yoshiwara's….

Councilor Layton, 2031 Councilor

Bruce Stuart Wayne, 2056 Councilor… Stuart Bloom (you want me to do this for a free lunch, I'm Bruce Wayne)

Ted, former US Senator and leader of Droog marauder band in 2030…

Warren Rick, former governor of Texas, City Councilor…

Minister Flemm…

Councilor Romney, 2031 Councilor…

Brent Adelsen Kocher, 2056 Opposition Leader/Councilor… Toby Loobenfeld

Missy, 2056 courtesan clone…

Security agent 2031…

Various female clones of the "Lucy" and "Missy" lines… Name withheld by request

Part XLIX…

Unaware of his beloved's dreadful fate above, Calvin had reached the bottom of the spiral staircase to the depths of Rotwolowitz's bizarre lab/lair…

"So just to let you know, I know what's what, doc…" he called out to the empty room. "I get that you're herding me into some trap or the room where you'll make The Speech or whatever. All I'm gonna say is…Penny had better be ok, or else."

"Or else…Or else what, kid?…You'll lecture me to death?" Rotwolowitz, watching on lab monitor grinned.

"And it's your dad who's the one who does 'The Speech' crap." Frown.

"Poor dear Calvin…" the false Penny, now dressed in Penny's worker dress…Though somehow not bringing quite that air of virginal purity…Leaning on Rotwolowitz's shoulder.

"He does love me so…Promise you won't hurt him." She gave Rotwolowitz's look an innocent return expression.

"Leave that to me…" smile… "After all, love is isn't all hearts and flowers, and I'm only…Human." She grinned. He eyed her, slight smile.

"Oh, I've no intention of hurting him…Physically." Rotwolowitz noted. "Just following my good bud Sheldon's orders put as request to help his boy break off an unfortunate misalliance."

"With me?" the robot pouted. "Oh…And here I was thinking I'd bagged me the crown prince with my sincere love for all Humanity, my ceaseless efforts for peace and harmony…And my rather hot, if utterly chaste, bod."

"Well, you'll have the chance to trade up, shortly…" Rotwolowitz noted. "Or, like any modern independent woman, keep your options open till the truly right guy…Or gal…Comes along."

"Oh, but there's only one for me…" she smiled…Startling him a bit by the sincerity as she took his hand.

"You do believe me…?"

(Bernadette eyeing Leonard…

"Great actress, isn't she?" he tried.

"Actually, yeah…I was just about to say that. What?" Bernadette grinned at him. "Are you getting nervous about…" giggle… "Penny and Howard?"

"What? No…No, of course not…")

"…I think we'd better…" Howard began.

"…That Calvin, my beloved is the one and only." She finished, high-mindedly, but with grin at end…Squeezing his hand.

"Doctor?" a short female clone entered. "We're ready to do the Voit-Compt test."

"Great…The test of emotional responses to prove I'm human and not some crappy android smuggled in to take my place." False Penny beamed. "I have a feeling I'll pass with flying colors, eh?"

"Actually…I think so." Howard smiled. "And then we'll have our guest to meet with."

"And then I ought to get to work…Say…" she beamed, rising. "We need to check me out as to full motor coordination and I need to practice…" she held out arms to him. He staring…

"Dance with me, Howard. Like we used to… Hey, you?! Clone!" she snapped at one of the females. "Put on music!"

The female blinked, frowning…

Hey, you clanking mass of metal with organic overlay…I'm a human being and I take orders from…Well, everyone…Human, that is. But no robots push me around…

"Hel…Penny…" Howard corrected. "I think I'm past…"

"Nonsense…Dance with me." She insisted. "Well?" she eyed the clone…

"I'm waiting…" the clone frowned.

"Confirmed…And from now on, please follow Ms. Penny's instructions. So far as you know, she's unquestionably human…Got that?" Rotwolowitz ordered.

False Penny giving cool smile to the clone.

Don't try and undercut me, freak sub human…

"So?" the clone eyed the robot who frowned…

Uppity little…

But in our eventual Paradise, changes will be made…And any surviving clones will know their place.

Not that any females will survive…Hel II will see to that.

"Sorry, dear sister, it's been a busy day…Rebirth and all… Please put on 'Lets Face The Music and Dance', would you?" False Penny smiled sweetly to the clone.

The sweet smile somehow far more chilling than the cold frown…

Fred Astaire's voice coming over the lab speakers… As False Penny gently tugged Rotwolowitz to the center of the lab, gently smiling at various clones who quickly moved out of the way…She pulling Howard close, taking his hands in hers and positioning him.

"And…" she began… "One, two…Three…" Raising arms…

"There may be trouble ahead…" She spun him round…Her worker's dress rising lightly with the spin.

"But while there's moonlight and music
And love and romance…"

She beamed into his troubled face…
"Let's face the music and dance…"

Leading him round…Bending sensuously and rather elegantly…Yet making him look damned good, as the clones watching noted…

"Before the fiddlers have fled
Before they ask us to pay the bill…" she sang to him, leading him round elegantly…

Amy, deep below in the Workers' City now, in worker's outfit, filing along with a drab, exhausted group returning from service in the Machine Halls…

But in her imagination, likewise on the dance floor with the man of her dreams…And nights…

And nightmares, on occasion…

"You know, Amy…" the imaginary Cooperson was busily eyeing an S-pad in hand even as he danced… "If we harnessed the energy output of these dancers, we could probably have a 3-4% savings in total consumption. Are you getting that down?"

"Yes, Mr. Cooperson…

"And while we still have the chance
Let's face the music and dance…"

She whirled him round…Staring at him earnestly…As false Penny did Rotwolowitz in his lab…

"Soon, we'll be without the moon
Humming a different tune and then…

A puzzled Calvin having found an open door, entered…Straining to hear…

Is that…Dance music?

Oh, crap…He turned as the door closed behind him…Leaving him in darkness. "OW!" he banged his head, fainting…

"There may be teardrops to shed…" a sad-eyed Penny stood before him…

"So, while there's moonlight and music…
And love and romance…" she sighed wistfully…Extending arms to him…

"Let's face the music and dance, dance
Let's face the music and dance…" false Penny spun Rotwolowitz round…

Sheldon, spinning Amy…Calvin, his imagined true Penny…

"Lets face the music and dance…" false Penny sang, whirling Rotwolowitz to a gentle stop as he gasped to catch breath.

"Physical mobility test, check…" clone tech #3216 noted via microphone as the clones clapped, false Penny bowing, hand clasping Howard's tightly.

"Ready for my Voit-Compt close up, Mr. DeMille/Rotwolowitz." False Penny beamed to him as he stared.

Dear God…He blinked. I could almost believe…

But she's programmed to…This is all perfectly explainable in her personality matrix, especially with Penny's memories tossed in the mix.

"We ought to make Cooperson take that test…I'd bet anything he fails." The robot chuckled. But gave Rotwolowitz a wistful look as he moved to check out the test set up.

Rotwolowitz pausing…Closing eyes and for an instant…Helga, in his arms, dancing with him, again…

As false Penny watched him…Instinctively sensing…Even as he sighed and resumed heading over to the test equipment.

I will prove it…I will prove I'm your perfect Hel…The Hel who truly loves you…

(Oh…Raj sighed.

A tragic robot-human romance on top of everything else?

This is too much for a simple nerd genius like me to bear, dudes.

"Even Sheldon's dancing…Why don't you get to dance in this scene?" Lucy asked him.

"Sweetheart…The mysterious chief of secret police is above such trifles…" he paused, smiling at her woebegone face. "But…His mild-mannered alter ego astrophysicist, out on the town with his girl, is not."

"Why are we dancing?" Sheldon hissed to Amy… "I've seen 'Metropolis'. Only the robot dances. My character shouldn't…" He eyed her woebegone look at him.

"Perhaps, it's a metaphor…?" he suggested. "Absolutely…" she nodded eagerly as Raj and Lucy glided past.

"I love you, Sheldon…" Amy hugged him.

"I love the way you stay in character." He nodded, beaming.)

"Let's face the music and dance, dance
Let's face the music and dance…" false Penny spun Rotwolowitz round…

Sheldon, spinning Amy…Calvin, his imagined true Penny…

The Thin Man's mild-mannered astrophysicist alter ego, his dear girl…The clone waitress from the café his menacing other self had tipped against the law.

(Penny beaming at Leonard as they danced…God…He did all this, for me. "I love you so much…Leonard. We can edit in 'Calvin', later." She noted, looking over to see Stuart and Toby eyeing the dancers a bit forlornly. Leonard looking as well as she stared.

"Leonard…?" wistful look.

"Fine, I'll find some way to write in them dancing too…" he sighed.)

"Let's face the music and dance, dance
Let's face the music and dance…"

("Hey!" a stern voice called. "Wolowitz?! You said you were making an engineerwing video when you asked to use the high-energy particle lwab tonight. No dancing was mentioned…I'll have you know I was expecting to find you making pworn. Hewollo, beautifwul." He eyed Penny in her worker costume. "My apologies, Howard." Beam to Howard as Kripke took a seat at a lab bench, looking expectantly at the group. "By all means, cawrry on with the kinkiness.")