"Leonard Speaking"
'Leonard Thinking'
The Phoenix Foundation, Los Angeles
Angus MacGyver was not a man to be surprised easily. And for the times he was surprised, he had learned to improvise. Yet over the past year, a lot of surprising things happened. First, Nikki faked her death, then the government shut down the DXS. Luckily, Thornton was able to reconstitute the team under the banner of Phoenix Foundation. Their team had solved quite a few cases, from Russian nukes, to maniacal bombers. When he was called into the room for debriefing, he expected a mission in the same vein. Yet, he was surprised again.
MacGyver looked intrigued, "A recon mission. When was the last time we had one of those? I always thought CIA or NSA collected intelligence for us."
Thornton nodded before explaining, "Normally, that would be the case, but this mission is special. Normally, the situations we deal with are the final stage problems, when no other organisation can do it. This is similar, in that no other organisation has been able to collect information."
Jack spoke in his southern accent, "So, what is this Chaldea, a think tank, a company?"
Riley interrupted, "Don't you read the news? Chaldea is a global name in scientific research. Sure most of the things they make are not available to the general public, but they have been responsible for a lot of recent development in many fields."
Thornton clicked a remote, causing an image to be displayed, "This is Team Epsilon, from the FBI. A few weeks ago, they infiltrated a warehouse owned by Chaldea's founder."
Jack looked at the image, before remarking, "They should have found something. I know their leader. She is very capable, although she runs her team more like a family."
Riley joked, "So, this Team Epsilon is an FBI version of us."
Thornton looked serious, "They found something. They found out that the founder of Chaldea can defeat an elite team of operatives by himself. The team was dealt with…"
Jack interrupted, "Wait, they are dead!"
Thornton shook her head, "No, Leonard Hofstadter, the leader of Chaldea, happened to be in the warehouse. He knocked out the entire team in under five minutes, and captured them. While the team was not killed, it was a very dangerous situation for them."
Jack mused, "So, infiltrate the organisation, hack or steal info, and escape. Sounds simple enough."
MacGyver, who was fiddling with some paperclips, said, "I am sensing a but there."
Before Thornton could speak, Jack joked, "Whose butt?"
Laughing at his own joke, Jack turned to Thornton, whose unsmiling face stopped any amusement in Jack. With extreme seriousness, Thornton informed, "There are three problems with this mission."
Seeing that everyone was paying attention, Thornton continued, "First, Chaldea has not broken any laws, at least none that we know of. So, while investigating them is legal, stealing the information is not. Second, hacking them is not going to be easy at all."
Riley asked curiously, "What do you mean?"
Thornton looked at Riley, before explaining, "Chaldea doesn't use public channels for their internal communication. They have their own network grid, their own encrypted channels, and possibly their own communication satellites. NSA tried to pry into those channels. The result... was not so good."
Riley asked, "Define 'not so good'."
Thornton paused, before answering, "They damaged their supercomputer trying to break through the encryption, before Chaldea invaded the NSA system, from somewhere."
Riley raised her eyebrow, "Somewhere?"
Thornton shrugged, "The NSA has no idea where the attack originated from."
MacGyver stated, "So, we are dealing with a scientific organisation, with independent communication systems, advanced research capability, and a propensity to keep secrets. And based on the combat readiness of its founder, they are not above stepping on toes."
Thornton nodded, before explaining, "Luckily, we have some time to prepare. Chaldea is organising an Expo, in about forty days from now. And it will happen in New Jersey. Infiltrate the event, discreetly, and bring that information out. And when I say discreetly, I mean it. We don't have much of an improvisation window here."
Jack was confused, "Why not?"
Thornton said, "Because this is a global event. Every major country has been sent invitations, major scientific organisations are invited, and the media coverage is heavy. If you blow your cover, or attract attention, the Phoenix Foundation will be visible to every country and organisation in the world."
The team was silent, before MacGyver said, "Then we better prepare."
As the three went on to prepare, Thornton noticed a triquetra symbol on MacGyver's sofa, made out of bent paperclips.
ARK Facility, Norway
Leonard sat in a small conference hall. Unlike the other public places in the base, this hall was private, connected directly to his bedroom in the base. In every seat, a holographic figure of his inner circle sat.
Leonard cleared his throat and started the meeting, "We have gathered here to discuss the details about the Expo. Emil, what is the status of the diplomatic guests."
Emil Okoye, once an activist and teacher, had now become the diplomat for Chaldea. While Stan talked with companies, Emil talked with the governments. He replied, "Most of the guests have accepted the invitations. India and China have been particularly enthusiastic."
Leonard nodded, before turning to Stan, "Has the venue been arranged?"
Stan nodded, "I have made all the arrangements. The event would be huge, but it's nothing I can't handle."
Leonard nodded, before Giselle gave her report, "I have already arranged the security personnel. We will ensure that the event remains safe."
Leonard mused for a minute before asking, "Stan, have we invited any major corporations?"
Stan said, "Every major company in the country will be there. Gates and Musk are big customers and Musk has been clamouring to meet you to discuss some cooperation. Apparently, the Yutani Corporation has shown interest in the chips we sell to him. They have asked for a meeting."
Leonard thought for a second, before he said, "Invite Peter Weyland as well. Tell him that he can come as an attendee or a participant. While I don't like his attitude, this Expo is a way to celebrate science, and he is a good scientist."
Finally, Leonard turned to Elliot. The current Elliot was a far cry from his first meeting. Gone was the hoodie, the cigarette and the gloomy air. Now, Elliot looked both confident and capable. Without Leonard saying anything, Elliot said, "I have been monitoring every major organisation in the world. Someone will try to infiltrate, but don't worry, I'll handle it."
Leonard nodded, before announcing,"In that case, I'll leave everything else to you. Let's make this Expo a festival to science."
Soon, the holograms disappeared, before Leonard slumped on his chair. With just a thought, the silvery chair started to move towards his lab. Over the past few weeks, Leonard had not only upgraded Null but also completed his Chronon-based nuclear reactor. With clean energy, one of his main worries were gone.
Now, with his entire focus on Project Stargate, Leonard used his nights to study and make sense of all the knowledge he used. After five hours of constant work, he started to feel slightly tired as well.
Suddenly, Leonard heard a voice, "Are you coming to the bed? You have been working constantly for more than a week."
Leonard turned around and faced Paige. Suppressing a yawn, he said, "I'll be there in a minute."
Without waiting for an excuse, Paige dragged Leonard to his bed and asked him to sleep. Leonard insisted on working, but Paige didn't listen to his excuses. She quickly dragged him to the bed, pulling over the blanket, before climbing in herself. Leonard mumbled, "I have work to do."
Paige whispered, "Work tomorrow. Now, sleep well."
Leonard quickly fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. Surrounded by Paige's comforting scent, Leonard felt as if he was finally home.
Next Morning
Leonard's eyes snapped open as he woke up in his bedroom, alone. He looked around at the cold bedroom, rubbing his blue eyes as he looked around for Paige. With quick steps, he walked towards the office, where Paige was scribbling on a board.
Looking at Paige deeply absorbed in her work, Leonard felt amused. He read her equations, whistling in amazement, "Now that is something amazing."
Paige turned around, smiling as she greeted, "Good morning. I thought of waking you up, but you haven't been sleeping much lately."
Leonard understood her concern. Ever since his second procedure, he had only needed two hours of rest everyday. However, ever since he came to Norway, Leonard hadn't slept for even half an hour everyday. As a result, he slept for a full eight hours to relax completely.
Leonard waved his hand, telling her not to worry. He stood beside her, reading through her equation. He turned to her, "Material issues?"
Paige sighed, "Material issues. I just can't see what we can use. I tried copper isotopes, vanadium, titanium, and everything else I could think of. But all I get are the same problems. The gate cannot even withstand the electric load. Too much resistance."
Leonard said, "We can't use alloys. They have the proper structure for it."
Paige sat down at her desk, pouring herself a cup of coffee. Leonard poured one for himself, before asking, "Did you take a Pill?"
Paige nodded, "I did, but the Pill won't magically create an element for me. Nothing in the periodic table is working."
Leonard looked at the calculations for a second, before turning towards her, "Do you mind if I use it?"
Paige shook her head, as Leonard wiped her equation and started writing his own. He explained, "Let me utilize a different nuclear model. This would allow for the elements to have a different stability index. And forget the lighter elements. Their nuclear potential is insufficient for the amount of energy this element has to pass through. Once we reach the island of stability, we will have the material for our Stargate."
Paige looked at the equation, and asked, "Did you modify the nucleon structure? Are you using exotic energy field to forge a new, stable superheavy element?"
Leonard nodded, "Right. Now, we can run the experiment later on. Let's get something to eat."
The two quickly closed the office and went for their lunch. As they were walking towards the cafeteria, Leonard looked around the base, his eyes taking in the gray walls, long hallways and that gloomy cold that seemed to seep from the walls into his very bones. For some, this would be perfect, but Leonard didn't see it as perfect. He arrived at the cafeteria, and sat down in a chair. Paige sat in front as the two ordered something to eat.
Paige took a bite of her lapskaus, sighing as the warm stew warmed her stomach, she noticed Leonard hadn't touched her food. With some worry, she asked, "Are you alright? You haven't even touched your food."
Leonard looked at her, his piercing blue eyes meeting her greenish blue ones, before he asked, "What do you think of Prague?"
Paige looked oddly and asked, "Are you planning to set up a base there?"
Leonard shook his head, "No bases. once this project is over, let's buy a house there."
Paige swallowed a piece of carrot, before asking, "Why do you want to buy a house?"
Leonard looked at the cafeteria wistfully, watching as the scientists bustled around, waiting to get back to their work. He had been like that once. He felt the world slow down as his senses activated. Unknown to him, his blue eyes seemed to shine, and a violet ring formed around his pupil. Watching those phantoms all around him, Leonard said, "When I was young, I lived with my parents, although it was always my mother's house. I tried to make her proud, yet all I ever did was make her disappointed. To her, I was the trial version for my brother. It was never a home. Then, I stayed at my college dormitory, and moved in with Sheldon. Once again, while we both rented that apartment, everything in there was for Sheldon, or catered to his needs in some way."
With a chuckle Leonard remarked, "I couldn't even touch the thermostat."
As Leonard talked, Paige remembered her own home, a place where her brilliance estranged her from her own family. When she was young, her parents divorced as her mother had to care for her, while ignoring her father. While the house was warm, at least for a while, she never felt like she belonged there. She seemed to understand what Leonard wanted to say.
Leonard continued, "Now, I don't lack financial strength, but these bases, no matter how advanced, don't feel like homes. I want a home, for myself, for us."
Paige whispered, "That's a big step. Are you sure?"
Leonard smiled, "Never been more sure in my entire life. We both have been like rootless weeds all our life. It's time we set our roots."
AN: And done. Next chapter is the Expo. Stay tuned for more.
AN2: I wish to thank all my patrons, old and new, who have stood by this story. Thank you
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