Chapter 3

Sheldon…

The light engulfed him, and disappeared.

Sheldon…wake up…

The pain was, although short lived, immense, like he was being torn to pieces and fed to savage dogapusses.

Sheldon Lee Cooper, PhD!

His eyes fluttered open at the commanding voice. It was familiar, although he could not understand why. (Which was a shock. He could remember everything, and that surely included voices.)

That's DOCTOR Sheldon Lee Cooper, PhD! He thought, disgruntled.

When his eyes adjusted he took in what was before him. It was vast, and pale blue. Like…

The sky? Has no one found me? Helped me?

His senses slowly crept back to him as he lay on the ground, analyzing his predicament. From his position he concluded several things:

1) He was on the ground. Oh Lord, he could almost feel the diseases colonizing on him!

2) His jacket was gone, but he was still fully clothed and he could feel the bag strap across his chest. It was a comforting feeling.

and

3)He had been moved. The buildings surrounding him were different, and they were covered in designs he could not make out.

Sheldon rolled his body until he was on all fours, and stood up slowly. He looked around him, hoping to find the source of the voice that called out to him so that he could demand answers, but there was no one in sight.

The entire city seemed deserted.

"Hello? Excuse me, is there anyone who can help me?" His voice echoed, and he waited to see if his Vulcan hearing could pick up a response.

Sensing that his call went unnoticed, he proceeded to investigate his surroundings. They were certainly not the buildings of Pasadena. So if he was no longer in Pasadena, where was he?

He approached a shop across from where he had woken up, and looked up at the large fluorescent sign.

Sheldonopolis Café.

Oh. OH.

A flash metal and a memory of the impact suddenly appeared in his mind and he swiveled around, his chest heaving. A car had hit him. He was…? What had he been doing?

"Am I dead?" Sheldon frantically looked around Sheldon Square. "I'm dead…I'm DEAD and I still haven't been awarded my Nobel PRIZE!" His hands twisted his bad strap. "I still haven't made all the contributions I intended to present to mankind. I CAN'T be DEAD."

"You're not dead, Moon Pie. Relax."

That voice! The same voice that brought him back to consciousness. It was sarcastic, and dry and seemed to be gently mocking him.

"Sit down, Sheldon. Have some cob-"

He turned and pointed at her, glaring. "You!"

"Me?"

"Whenever trouble happens, you are always lurking nearby. You probably did this." He gestured to his surroundings. "You brought me here, somehow. I…I'm dead. Why are you here? You shouldn't be here Penny. You're not allowed in Sheldonopolis."

Penny rested her chin on her hand and shook her head at him, causing her blonde hair to bounce around her face.

"But I am here. You are not dead and I think," she pulled a chair out for him, patting the seat, "You should sit down and relax."

"In what universe does one relax when one finds themselves in a reality based on a virtual game, alone I might add, after a major accident?"

"Yeah…just sit, Sheldon. Look, I was even gonna offer you this slice of peach cobbler before you interrupted me." She smirked at him as he eyed the perfect cut of pie.

"I can't eat pie if I'm dead."

"SIT. DOWN. SHELDON."

He frantically sat himself down. "No need to yell! Honestly, I was only pointing out the facts."

"I'll explain the facts once you're finished. Now, are you alright?" She handed him a fork and flashed him a smile.

"'Alright' is an understatement." He took a small bite of the cobbler and closed his eyes. "But this is truly delightful. Why, I could even say this rivals my mother's cobbler. Are you sure I'm not dead?"

Penny rolled her eyes at him. "Yes."

"Am I...in the Matrix...?"

"I could take that away you know."

With that, he attacked his cobbler. He sensed that that was the end of the conversation for now. There would still be plenty of time for answers later.