47
The following afternoon at CalTech. Gabelhauser's office.
"Good afternoon, Dr. Hofstadter. Please have a seat."
"Thank you, Dr. Gabelhauser. May I ask what this meeting is about?"
"Ah, right to the point. Good. I was hoping we wouldn't need to dance around. I spoke with the local Assistant Director of the FBI this morning."
"And…"
"They have determined that there is not quite enough evidence to bring charges against you. They have suspended their investigation."
Leonard rose up in his seat defiantly. "Good. Because I didn't do anything wrong."
"That isn't what I said, Dr. Hofstadter. The FBI and the university are certain you removed that top-secret fuel from the lab and transported it to your home with the intention of giving a sample of it to Ms. Kim. She confirms it. Your colleagues and friends confirm it. And the damage to the elevator in your apartment building confirms it. However, since the fuel leaves no trace we have no actual evidence."
"So it's like it never happened."
"Dr. Hofstadter, it happened. No matter how many times you tell yourself that because you never gave the fuel to Ms. Kim the crime of espionage is obviated, we all know that you had the intent even if it was only to satisfy your libidinous desires."
"But you can't prove any of that. And even if you could, Cooper, Koothrapali and Wolowitz were also involved."
"And you believe that if you were to suffer any sanctions they should also? Is that correct?"
"Of course. It would only be fair."
"Ah. Fairness. An interesting point. Did you think it fair to subvert Dr. Cooper's research in the Arctic?"
"I should have known that Sheldon would eventually come running to you with a tale. So I played a little prank on him. And Wolowitz and Koothrapali helped."
"First, Dr. Cooper did not come running to me. From the moment he returned to campus from that misbegotten expedition he has taken complete responsibility for its failure. He went so far as to write letters of recommendation for you and the others for the work you did. He handled the matter like a professional, honorably. And I believe a bit stupidly."
"I don't understand."
"I believe he should have immediately reported you for academic malfeasance and had you terminated. But he was under the delusion that you were his friend and that a friend could never do something so horrible."
"It wasn't a big thing. Others have done worse. Wolowitz crashed the Mars Rover and screwed up his space toilet and he got away with it."
"Mr. Wolowitz 'got away' with nothing. Do you actually believe that he would have been permitted to go into space without coming clean on all of that? The crashing of the Mars Rover led to a very interesting discovery, a discovery that could have made his career and Wolowitz will never be associated with it nor will he ever be able to speak publicly about it. That was one of the conditions he had to accept in order to go to the International Space Station. And toilets break on Earth all the time. That one might not work correctly in space was no great surprise. Wolowitz is not the first scientist to have a space toilet problem and he likely won't be the last."
"But Cooper and Koothrapali helped him try to cover it up."
"Nothing of real importance was lost, just the records covering a few hours. And they were aiding a colleague."
"So was I."
"From what I understand, your contribution was screwing Wolowitz's date."
"Well, there are other things they did that were much worse. Both Cooper and Wolowitz have misused government resources and equipment like drones, spy satellites and NSA computers."
"And by doing so they exposed weaknesses in national security that have since been addressed. They unknowingly performed a service. How do you think the government discovers their security problems? They wait for very smart people to point them out. And then they often hire those smart people or provide them grant money."
"So they won't be punished?"
"I didn't say that. Both Koothrapali and Wolowitz have had letters of reprimand put in their files. They will need to work very hard over the coming years to erase the effect. However, Wolowitz has already through his work with NASA attracted quite a bit of funding to our university. And I had to fight off both JPL and NASA when they sought to hire him away."
"Well, I attract funding too."
"You fucked an old lady, Hofstadter. And she has since shifted her funding to Cooper."
"Speaking of Sheldon Cooper, what are you planning to do to deal with him and the things he's done?"
"Cooper has suffered for years. Every bit of his work he has ever done has been gone over with a fine-tooth comb to ensure that he didn't make any mistakes like the one you made it look like he made. His reputation was in tatters and he has had to work very hard to try to get it back. He still may never get the Noble prize he desires so much due to your efforts."
"And that's all?"
"No, we awarded him tenure and are insisting he continue to follow a course of research he would rather not follow. But in addition we are allowing him to branch out into other areas. Cooper has a brilliant mind and we expect great things from him. The university does not wish to lose him."
"What about me? I should have gotten tenure. I could do great research. I worked with Stephen Hawking after all."
"You worked for Stephen Hawking, Dr. Hofstadter. And according to Dr. Hawking your primary contribution to the expedition was chips and dips."
"And I spent three months in the Arctic."
"Hofstadter, the less you say about the Arctic the better."
"Well, I still believe I deserve tenure."
"Dr. Hofstadter, you have been here for ten years and have yet to do a single piece of original research. You spend your days aping the work of better scientists, replicating their experiments and cajoling young women into your lab for sexual intercourse. You are aware that there are security cameras in the labs, are you not? Luckily for Ms. Queen and Dr. Winkle I have made certain the tapes were destroyed."
"I don't understand what any of this has to do with me getting tenure."
"Tenure is not something you get for showing up for work on time every day. It is a reward for scholarship and providing an example to our students and an investment in keeping a valuable asset at the university."
"What are you saying?"
"I met with President Seibert and the Board of Trustees after I spoke with the FBI. I recommended dispensing with your services immediately. I don't like you. And I don't trust you. I never have. You are a pedestrian scientist and an academic saboteur, if not an actual one. If word of your antics got out to the academic community at large it would be a significant embarrassment to the university. As it is, due to the FBI investigation a number of organizations refuse to fund any projects with which you are attached. You are a lousy example of a scientist for our students. However I was overruled. The board is too concerned with how things would look. And, to be honest, they are a bit afraid of your mother. When it comes up for renewal your contract will be renewed."
"And I'll be up for tenure next year?"
"No, Dr. Hofstadter, you will not. You are no longer on a tenure track. You are now an adjunct instructor. And you will be receiving a reduction in salary to reflect that. From here on you will receive one-year contracts, which will be renewed at either my discretion or that of my eventual successor, who is likely to be Dr. Cooper. And you will receive the same cost-of living increases in salary as any other university employee. Additionally your security clearance has been revoked and is unlikely to be reinstated here or at any other institution."
"But I'm getting married. I'm going to have a family. We want to buy a house."
"Well, then I suggest that you leave any improvements in your lifestyle to Ms. Queen. Because, if my records are correct, she now earns more than you."
"This is unacceptable."
"Take it or leave it, Dr. Hofstadter."
"Then I resign. Effective immediately."
Leonard dramatically stood up to leave the office.
"Sit down, Dr. Hofstadter. If you do indeed resign then you cannot be in this building without an escort. Your past behavior says you cannot be trusted. Luckily I anticipated this possibility and I have prepared the appropriate paperwork. Please sign where indicated. I have your final paycheck. Wait here for a security guard who will escort you to your lab where you will pack up only your personal items. All university property, laptops, cell phones or other equipment will remain behind. You will then be escorted out of the building. By the way, university policy requires that when asked for a reference the only information that we can provide will be that you did indeed work here. However, if you ever seek security clearance a great deal more information will come out, information you will not find flattering. Goodbye, Dr. Hofstadter."
A/N: Another difficult chapter, but one I looked forward to writing. I hope you liked it. What will the fallout of Leonard's resignation be? How will it affect Penny? Sheldon? Stay tuned.
On a related note, I'm sorry my posting has slowed a bit. I'm trying to continue to post daily but now that we've reached the most difficult part of the story I'm more concerned with getting it right than getting it out. I'm sure you agree. So don't worry if I skip a day or two. I will finish. I know how the story ends. We just have a major confrontation or two to get past.
Thank you all for reviewing and following and favoriting. I do enjoy hearing from you and I'm happy to know that this story has led lots of new folks to my earlier work.