As always I own nothing, make no money from this and bow before the genius that is Chuck Lorre, Bill Prady and all of the writers, actors and crew that bring the TBBT to life. Thank you.

Sorry about this chapter, I have re-written it 5 times and it still feels choppy.

Hanging with Mr. Cooper

My brief stint at Stalag 13 (the nonexistent super collider in Michigan) had already paid off for the University. Since I already had a high level security clearance from the DOD I was asked to study a new jet fuel formula that was supposed to give rockets a larger boost while also taking up less space. This meant either achieving longer burn times or heavier payloads. I had reviewed the specs and requirements of the project and decided it was worth the Universities time to accept this project. I was shown the budget and discovered I was authorized to hire staff from any department in order to get the project done quickly. I had a small problem getting approval to use Sheldon Cooper because of his previous security screwup. After assuring the DOD security team that he was necessary for the completion of this undertaking they agreed to vet him again. Since one of their main concerns was keeping Sheldon away from any more spies I suggested that he move in with me, making it easier for the team to monitor and secure our abode. They agreed. Next I was told there would be a delay in when I could read Howard in on the project because there were still security concerns about his absentee father. Once those were allayed they started running the normal backgrounds on those we met on a day to day basis. With my team approved I then went to Howard and Sheldon to ask them to join me on project Iccarus.

Howard was an easy sell, he was already wrapping up a project for the private sector and was told he could put his next project on hold. He would be ready to assist. Sheldon's interview was a little more interesting. Not being familiar with me I found him pacing my office working himself up for a confrontation in answer to my request for a meeting. When he found out he was there to discuss his joining me on a DOD project, and that it paid well, he seemed to calm down. I told him of the security issues and he turned a little green. He explained his previous problems keeping a secret. I let him know I was aware of the problems that he had earlier and that I had recommended him for that position. Realizing that I had asked him for him, regardless of his past failures, he visibly perked up. I explained about the change in living arrangements and he seemed relieved about vacating chaos central for a more stable environment.. Standard procedure for a DOD project was that we would no longer be allowed to use any data devices except for the laptop provided by the DOD. Email on that device was encrypted and the available contacts were few in number. The DOD would monitor the emails and edit any questionable ones before sending. He was to supply a list of friends and family that he emailed regularly. Any web searches needed were to be emailed to our support team who would gather the data and forward their findings. That agreed upon, and knowing that he was a creature of repetition, I presented him with a daily schedule that included time for work on his Doctorate, and sleep, but little else. He had reviewed the schedule and questioned the daily exercise routine. I explained that the required activity was actually Tai Chi and its main purpose was to reduce stress and clear the brain. I told him that was not negotiable. I explained the security precaution that had led to the shared apartment and let him know he would be treated as a roommate not as a guest. Since we would be working in close quarters for several months I suggested drop the titles and just use our first names. Due to the nature of the work it was decided that I should be his facility advisor till the project or the doctorate was complete.

He agreed to all of it. I handed him his own apartment key and told him to call me Saturday when he was ready to move in. I would be providing all transport since we would be in each others hip pockets till the project completed. Our routine set, we began our unlikely partnership.

I need to get this all down so I will only gloss over the next months. Since Sheldon was sleeping better, eating better, and doing Tai Chi, his appearance and demeanor had greatly improved.

Once I had told him his role was to "do the math" and provide insights on the project his personality began to adjust. Gone were the feral looks, like he was waiting to be attacked. Now he would make eye contact when talking to me. He added more and more information to our daily work reviews once he realized he was to be treated as a colleague not a drone. Howard had remarked several times on the remarkable insights Sheldon would provide. During one of our private talks I had told Howard all about Sheldon's past and what a raw deal he had gotten at "that" University. Since Howard and Raj were spending most of their free time at 4A. Finding a mutual love of science fiction, manga, and comic books acted as a bonding agent for the new group. On those rare occasions we did go out into the public we generally did so as a group. Raj had been upset with all the secrecy about our project in the beginning, but once I explained it was a DOD project he refrained from bringing it up. I also took Raj aside and told him of Sheldon's inability to keep secrets so Raj made doubly sure to never mention anything about us being on a project in case that would spur Sheldon into another verbal volcano, spewing secrets everywhere.

Why go into these details, because I need you to see at what lengths I was willing to go to get Sheldon to his full potential. I had gone as far as to let him believe many of the insightful ideas he came up with were his alone, even though I had been aiming the project with those same insights in mind. Do not get me wrong, Sheldon was a tremendous help, but by allowing him to shine in the eyes of his friends his self confidence began to return. He would never again be the egotistical, self-centered genius described in Nicolette's journal but he could still reach his full potential. Don't get me wrong this was a Herculean task. At times I began to question my sanity at what I hoped to accomplish. At those times I would pull out the picture of Angelo and myself playing at the park and my resolve would strengthen. Failure was not an option so I began to plan the next phase of the Phoenix project (no this was not what I had called it all along, it had no name, blame Fawkes, he inspired me). The next phase was dealing with issues I had no background in so I did what any boy would do who needs help, I called Mother.