Chapter 12 - Speed and Stealth

It was just after dark, when Howard pulled into the alley, 3 blocks away from the area that was now secured by the Army with a barricaded perimeter around the scene. Howard had continued to hack into Colonel Turner's email and he probably knew almost as much about what was happening, at the scene, as the onsite commander did himself. They commenced the suit final checkout and then agonized through the long 10 minutes it took, even though they hurried, however eventually Leonard and suit were ready. They were done, so Howard put down his laptop then turned to open the large back doors of the van, when he felt the gloved hand on his shoulder. He slowly turned back around, now looking at Leonard's eyes through the open visor of the helmet, and it dawned on him this might the be the last time he ever saw him again.

"Howard, you have been a great friend and it has been an honor to know you. Sheldon has always been wrong, you are the best engineer in the world and I am proud you were my friend." The words from the amplified voice went straight to Howard's soul. "I just have one favor to ask you."

"Anything Leonard," Howard felt his eyes get wet.

"Howard you drive like mad and get out of here and save yourself. Then I want you to keep watch on Penny, comfort her, if this gets hard on her, and when see needs it, encourage her to find someone good to her and just make sure she is always okay. Will you do that for me?"

"Sure Leonard, I'll do that."

"Thanks, now open the door, like the Fantastic Four Thing said, 'Its clobberin time." Leonard said that with all the bravo he could muster, but in his heart he knew it was all words, he truly believed once he left Howard he would never see any of his friends again.

Howard opened the door and Leonard picked up the portable laser system chemical bags, that would power the laser, with its frame, that was strapped in a bag on his chest. He then stepped outside, however unlike last time, this time he was almost invisible in the night, Howard and Leonard had quickly painted the suit black with spray cans, before they left. Howard watched as Leonard quickly disappeared into the shadows, then stood there in conflict. He didn't want to leave, but he promised Leonard he would take care of Penny and how could he do that if he was dead. He had no doubt he would die if he stayed, just like Leonard, their chances were slim to none, but he would feel like a coward the rest of his life if he didn't stay to help his friend. He stood in the open back of the van truck conflicted until everything was made clear to him, Bernadette reached up and pulled his arm waking him from his thoughts.

Howard looked down and his eyes went wide, "What the hell are you doing here. You promised you'd leave." He had never been so mad at Bernadette in his life.

"Damm it, Howard Joel Wolowitz, you are not leaving me a widow. I signed on for better or worse, I guess I just didn't expect the worse so soon, but there is no way I am leaving you mister." Bernadette just stared up at her husband, daring him to say something.

Howard then looked at Penny, also standing there, he felt defeated, "You promised Leonard you'd leave, too."

"I can't Howard, I can't leave him. I walked out that room so he thought I left, but we followed you guys here. Howard, I love him and I can't live without him. If he dies today, then I die too, so what difference does it matter where I am."

Howard didn't know what to do, he didn't want his wife to die, with him, but he wanted to help Leonard, he hated himself, but his wife came first. "Come on, both of you, get in and lets go, Leonard wanted us to leave anyway."

"I'm not going Howard and you can't make me, leave your stuff and show me how to run it, so I can help him." Penny stood below the door with her arms folded, she was not leaving Leonard.

"Howie, we got to help him, you're the only one that can do it." Bernadette pleaded.

"I don't want you to die, Bernie. I can't let you die." Howard was almost in tears.

Bernadette stepped up into the truck, and grabbed he husband in a hug, "It's okay honey, as long as I'm with you, we'll be okay. We have to help Leonard."

Howard was breathing so hard he was almost hyperventilating, he loved his wife but why did she have to be so pig headed sometimes. He finally slowly gave up and nodded, he knew both of them so well, he knew Penny wouldn't budge, and he knew Bernadette wouldn't leave her or Leonard. "Both of you get in the truck."

Howard looked at Penny when she entered, "Well he did tell me to watch over you, so I guess I'm doing that." Penny looked at him and suddenly realized how serious he was really being.

"Can we give him real help from here?" Penny asked him.

"Yeah, we'll turn on the monitoring systems, keep tabs on him and be there if he needs us, but whatever you do don't say anything if I use the radio, okay?"

"Okay."

Howard then lead Penny and Bernadette into the truck and shut the doors, 5 minutes later they could see Leonard's progress to the building. Leonard was coming up to the military roadblocks and this is were everything was going to turn real, real fast. Penny and Bernadette stood there fascinated at the scenes on the TV screens in front of them, it was almost like watching a movie, but as Penny heard the breathing of the man in the suit, she knew it was no movie, it was Leonard. It was a few minutes before the scenes stopped moving as Leonard stopped, and they watched as he started to look back and forth, showing the soldiers and the roadblocks in front of his position.

Leonard looked at the street from the dark alley he was in. This street was one of the barrier lines the military set up to control the area, and if that wasn't bad enough, there were street lights everywhere, making sneaking across almost impossible. Almost impossible, the street lights were controlled by photo electric cells and Howard determined their targeting laser could fry their delicate circuits. Leonard took a deep breathe, he knew if this didn't work, they were sunk already, so he looked right at the light sensor on one of the street lights. "Targeting." The crosshairs came alive and he slightly moved his head to put them on the sensor.

"Targeting laser"

"Targeting laser, abort"

Leonard watched as the beam hit the sensor and the light winked off. "Abort"

"Targeting laser, aborted"

Leonard looked at the soldiers, a couple of them looking at the now off light, but then went back to talking to themselves.

Leonard looked at the next light, putting the crosshairs on the sensor. "Targeting laser"

"Targeting laser, abort"

The second light winked off. "Abort"

Leonard did this four more times, then watched the soldiers, they looked at the lights for a few minutes but went back to their work, one seemed to be on the radio, probably asking what was wrong or asking for portable lights, Leonard needed to hurry. He positioned himself so he was across from another dark alley on the other side of the barricade. Howard had instructed him that he had modified the thrusters too, instead of just boosting him into a jump, now they fired in deceleration, when he would land, to soften the landing. He was really hoping they worked right, because he was carrying about 100 pounds of laser equipment in the pack on his chest and almost 200 pounds of chemical packs with each arm.

"Thruster"

"Thruster armed…..abort"

Leonard took a deep breathe and prayed the gyros could compensate for the two portable chemical packs for the portable laser he was also carrying, in the jump. He pushed the trigger in his glove and held his breath, because except for initiating it he felt he had no control once the thrusters fired. Normally he felt he was part of the suit and it moved with him, but when the thrusters fired the suit shot up and he felt he was only along for the ride. He was use to sudden pulling of his body into the air, but this time the deceleration thrust caught him by surprise and scared him half to death as he tried to land on the other side in the alley. He was actually surprised when he landed so softly with the thruster decelerate and the cushioned boots he wore, it was also with a great relief that he found himself still standing with no one firing guns at him. He took one look back, to see a couple of soldiers pointing into the air, obviously they thought they saw something, so he figured he better get moving into the alley, the shadows quickly swallowing him up.

Penny and Bernadette had watched the whole thing on the screens in amazement, for the second time that night Penny felt everything was so unbelievable. Her and Bernadette's minds were reeling to what they were seeing, Leonard continued doing all these remarkable things, while Howard was monitoring suit systems and Leonard, acting like this was all normal routine. As they both turned their heads from the screens they both looked at each other, the same thought going through both their minds, 'Who were these men they were with?' What was happening couldn't be anymore amazing if it had been one of the guys silly science fiction movies, but they both knew this was real and they were actually living it.

The girls turned back to the screen and watched as Leonard was moving again. The picture suddenly started changing from the dark color scene in front of him to a reddish display, like an old black-and-white movie of the scene that was around him, then back again, worrying Penny immediately. "Howard, what is wrong with Leonard's camera?"

Howard never turned from his monitoring systems, but said in a very calm voice, "It is dark and he is having trouble seeing with normal vision, where he is moving, so he is flipping between normal vision and Infrared."

"Infrared?"

"A sort of night vision using heat."

"Oh." Penny didn't really understand, but Howard was not concerned, even calm, so everything must be okay and she just continued to watch.

Penny really didn't notice it specifically, but the deeper Leonard got to the site, the more she was becoming agitated. Penny wasn't the kind of person who could stand and watch, but she stood there helpless and watched as he went more and more into danger. She felt like a caged badger, straining to get out and take on the world, but just like that night in the Cheesecake Factory she was powerless and the longer it went on the deeper disheartened she got. She couldn't help the numbness that was creeping up on her as she leaned on the table, with white-knuckled fists, watching things play out with her Leonard and not being able to do a thing.

Things started to get brighter as Leonard moved towards his destination, the three buildings. He made one more turn and suddenly he had a view of everything, the three buildings, with the third lighted up with search lights. Leonard had been reasonably fine up to this point, maybe a little nervous, but now he felt scared as he looked at the building the terrorists occupied and all the soldiers around it. He could barely tear his eyes away from the scene to look at the other buildings, and especially the one at the other end of the three building chain, the dark one, the one that was his goal.

Bernadette and Penny saw what Leonard saw, they both saw the problem, and both of them didn't understand how Leonard could possibly get by all those soldiers. Even if he did, with all the lights, how would he get in without being seen, it seemed so impossible and they both looked at Howard.

"He can't get in there." It was a statement, not a question from Penny.

"He is not going by a way you can see." Howard was still calm as ice which infuriated Penny.

"Howard, tell him to come back, he can't get in there." Penny's voice cracked in frustration. The pent-up energy in her trying to get out.

"He is not going in that building. Watch."

Both girls turned their heads back to the screens, confused as they watched Leonard look over at the third building, the one farthest away from the one the terrorists were in. Then they watched as Leonard started to move towards it, taking an obvious sneaking approach towards its far side. Penny looked up at Bernadette who looked back shrugging her shoulders, neither of them had any idea where Leonard was going or what the guys were up to.

Penny felt helpless watching as Leonard moved around towards the dark building. Again the strain of not being able to do anything was getting to her, "Howard is there anything we can do to help him."

Her question made Howard turn from his monitoring screen, "Penny, he thinks we are safe in Oxnard, if I contact him he is going to know that is not true and worry. Everything right now is going to plan, really it is, so unless he has some system failures or actually needs help, the best thing we can do is just sit and watch."

It wasn't the answer she had wanted and it did nothing to alleviate the constant fear she was feeling inside for Leonard. However, Penny looked at Howard and could see he was telling her the truth, so she just nodded, "Okay", then turned back to the screens. The feeling of helplessness was eating at her, seeing Leonard getting closer to danger making her want to scream. She just wanted to run after him, take him away from all this, hold him and love him and be with him forever and ever.

Bernadette watched Penny as she wiped another tear from her eye, she had been doing that more and more as Leonard got deeper and deeper into danger, and she knew there was nothing she could do for her friend. She then looked over at Howard, reaching out to touch his arm, and wondered if they would be together tonight, the thought sending a chill down her spine. But just like her friend, there was nothing she could do, they had to stay, they had to see this through and Howard's small smile, as he looked back at her, gave her the courage to go on.