A/N Thank you again to SRAM and Warriorcreed for their usual insightful and interesting reviews. They are so important to me. I also want to thank the others who have reviewed in the past. I do welcome all opinions, good or bad. I also want to thank those who support me by reading my story.
These characters belong to Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady.
While Penny was contemplating what this all could mean, Tort went on, "If it is true that Fomac is alive, there is something else we should discuss."
He turned to Penny, "It is entirely possible that he could be checking on you."
Seeing her surprise, he continued, "After all, he undoubtedly knows who you are. He was the one who rented the apartment. He knows by now you would have probably wrapped up your initial assignment so he figures you are the new agent."
Penny thought about what he was saying, "But wouldn't he take a chance on me recognizing him?"
Tort shrugged, "He could be disguised." He hesitated, "It is even possible he has had his appearance altered."
Before Penny could say anything further, Ortag broke in, "That is certainly something we need to discuss and see what it means for the mission."
"But this may all be meaningless. It is possible he is dead. Until we know, this is all speculation." He paused, "But, it is also true, we should utilize the time we have. I propose we move forward with Agent Tort working with the infiltration team."
He looked at Penny, "As for you, I think you should return to the surface and return to your regular life. We will contact you when we have decided how to proceed."
Although she wanted to stay and see what happening, she agreed he was right. She also knew she would be more aware of her surroundings.
Saying she would be waiting for their call, she returned to her apartment.
Two days had passed and Penny wondered if she should contact the ship when she received word that she should return.
After beaming up, she found her way to the conference room where she was greeted by two surprises.
First, Agent Tort was there by himself and second, the blond, fair skinned, blue-eyed Dorian had been transformed into a man with dark brown hair, brown eyes, and a California tan.
Seeing the look on her face he smiled, "Quite the look, huh." He hesitated and then smirked, "They are very thorough. The made sure my hair is brown… everywhere."
Penny was a little stunned to realize she was blushing. Before she could decide what to say, Ortag and the members of the Infiltration team joined them.
When they were seated, Penny smiled, "Well, judging from what you have done to Agent Tort, I assume he is planning to stay on Earth."
Ortag answered, "Yes, our search of the database was fruitless."
Tort broke in, "Although it is still possible he is dead, my superiors have decided I need to do what I can to close the case."
Penny again pondered what all this could mean, how Tort being on Earth could affect her and her mission.
Ortag interrupted her thoughts, "Now that you are back on board, we need to bring you up to date as to where we are." He gestured to Dr. Solad, "Will you begin, Doctor?"
Solad turned to her, "As soon as we found no evidence of anything happening to Fomac, we began to find out what we could about Randall Smith's recent activities."
"We discovered that soon after he rented your apartment, he withdrew a total of $250,000 from five different banking accounts in Denver, Colorado. Apparently, he had accumulated a small fortune while he was on Earth."
"When we checked his Credit Card records, we found he stopped using them about that time."
"We also discovered that he sold his car back to the dealership."
"Further research found that he had flown to Eastern Europe. We never found any record of him returning or anything about him after that."
"We believe it is probable he changed his identity while overseas. It is also possible he had his appearance altered." He hesitated, "I suppose it is even conceivable he changed his sex."
Penny pondered what he was saying. She realized he could be anyone, perhaps even someone she knew.
She spoke up, "Couldn't it also be true he never returned to the States?"
Solad shrugged, "Anything is possible."
Tort broke in, "I still think we should start with the possibility he would want to keep tabs on you." He smiled ruefully, "At least it would be a place to start."
He went on, "Hopefully, he believes in the old saying, "Keep those who you fear in sight."
Penny smiled, "The humans have a similar saying, 'Keep your friends close, keep your enemies closer.'"
Solad spoke back up, "Since it is possible that Fomac is watching you, it is also possible he could be a threat to you." He hesitated, "We believe both you and Agent Tort should be armed."
While Agent Tort nodded, Penny was shocked. She finally said, "Are you sure that's necessary. I have never…"
Tort spoke up, "I really think you should consider it."
Solad broke in, "We have obtained two handguns and created permits for both of you. We have the means of training you aboard the ship."
Penny sighed. Although she still wasn't sure about this, it appeared she might have no choice.
Solad had gone on, "Now, we need to decide who Agent Tort should be. What his identity should be."
Tort spoke up, "Whatever we decide, I feel I should be in some way be close to Penny. We need to work together."
Penny was a little shocked to realize she would like that. She wondered exactly what that meant.
Ortag spoke up, "So, a boyfriend, a relative?"
Tort answered, "If Fomac is around, he would know she does not have a relative." He paused, "I may be paranoid but assuming Fomac is around he would know it has been about six months. He would know it is about time for a ship to visit. It is possible he would suspect me." He went on, "Besides, I think I should start by going to this Denver to see if he had a life there."
Penny broke in, "How about this? He can go out to Colorado and get set up. He could get a car and after a time, come to Pasadena and take a room at the apartment. We could then run into each other and decide what relationship we want to pretend to have."
Tort nodded approvingly, "That makes sense."
Solad spoke up, "Okay. Now we need to decide what identity to give to Agent Tort."
One of the other members of the team spoke up, "It should be something that would enable him to ask questions about Smith."
Solad nodded, "But he could not claim to be associated with any official group such as the police or the FBI without risking exposure."
Penny had an idea, "How about a private detective?"
Seeing the look on Tort's face, the others explained what was involved. When they finished, he agreed that would be an excellent choice.
During the next week everything was set up. He would be a private detective working on his own. They obtained a license and agreed he would open an office in Pasadena before he went to Colorado. He was given the name Stephen Johnson. They set up the usual bank account and credit card history. They decided he would be an only child. His parents were David and Eileen Johnson who lived in Ohio. Once again they decided he would be an orphan.
He also went through the normal indoctrination including driving lessons. They both took shooting practice.
During that time Penny split her time between Earth and the ship.
Finally, the time came and both of them were beamed to Earth, Tort equipped with his own communicator. He and Penny agreed they would stay in contact via phone.
Tort rented a small furnished office in downtown Pasadena and after purchasing a car, headed off for Denver.
Penny returned to her normal routine. She was gratified to find that Sheldon and Leonard were making strides in their work on Asymmetry.
One night at Dinner, Penny was surprised at the turn the conversation took. Out of the blue Howard asked, "Is Bernadette seeing anyone?"
Penny stared at him, "Are you interested in Bernadette?"
Howard smiled, "Is that such a surprise? I mean she is hot." He paused, "Well, is she seeing anyone?"
"Not that I know."
"So she's available."
Leonard broke in, "You really think you have a chance with her?"
Howard looked aggrieved, "Why not?"
Sheldon added, "I would think it would be more apropos to ask why."
Raj whispered in Howard's ear. Howard stared at him, "At least I can talk to women."
Penny felt a little sorry for him and broke in, "I think if you are interested, you should give it a shot. She can only say no."
Howard perked up, "So you think I have a chance."
Penny couldn't resist, "I didn't say that."
She smiled as Leonard laughed and Sheldon did his snort.
Once again she was amazed as how much she enjoyed being with these men. She wondered what effect the arrival of Agent Tort would have on this relationship. She wondered why she had thought of that. For the first time in a while, she thought again about her and Leonard. With all that had happened she had managed to push that out of her mind.
Ever since that night she went out, she and Cheryl and Kim had drifted apart. As far as the work at the Cheesecake Factory, she challenged herself by concentrating on accumulating tips.
A lot of that was due to her connection with her regular customers. She found she enjoyed talking with them and finding out a little about their lives.
She was especially curious about one of her regulars who always ate alone. The tips were great but her attempts to engage in conversation had been rebuffed.
Zonder Fomac sat at his normal table at the Cheesecake Factory. He watched as Penny waited on Leonard and the others. He wondered why she spent so much time with them.
Not for the first time he wondered if he had made the right decision. After he had contacted the Republic, he had debated whether he should meet with Penny. He knew it was highly unlikely that anyone suspected who he was. But in the end he had decided to play it safe. He just hoped they would figure he was dead.
He had taken the precaution of completely changing his appearance. He was confident no one would recognize him.
He made Randall Smith cease to exist.
When Penny continued to stay on Earth, he figured she must be the new agent. He knew he should probably get as far from her as possible, but it amused him to stay near her, knowing she would never suspect who he was.
It also gave him the opportunity to see who she dealt with, hoping he would know if someone from the Republic contacted her.
His reverie was interrupted when she came to the table. When she asked him if he wanted anything more, he said no and when she left the bill, he paid his usual generous tip.
As he was leaving, he caught her eye and smirked to himself as she smiled and nodded at him.
Once outside, he shivered a little as a cool breeze struck him. Wrapping his arms around himself, he headed for his car.
