CHAPTER 13: THE CONSPIRACY UNRAVELS
The air in the apartment building's hallway had a strange, artificial stillness to it. It was too quiet, the way a room gets right before someone walks in to turn off the lights. Aron was coming up the stairs, two takeout bags of Thai food slung over his arm, when he felt the familiar, jarring thrum of the System. Not a message, not a suggestion, just a low-frequency pulse, a digital sixth sense telling him something was off.
[SYSTEM: THREAT ASSESSMENT: MODERATE. AMBIENT INTERFERENCE DETECTED. SOURCES: LOW-FREQUENCY HUM GENERATOR, MOTION SENSORS, PRESSURE PLATES. RATIONALE: HOSTILE ENVIRONMENT, PROBABLE CAUSE: SHELDON COOPER.]
Great. Aron sighed to himself. This is my life now. Walking into a sitcom-level booby trap every time I get dinner. He had to suppress a laugh. The idea of Sheldon, in a lab coat and a look of furious concentration, installing a low-frequency hum generator to catch a guy who could just… walk around it was just too perfect.
He reached the landing of the third floor. The hallway stretched out before him, a long, quiet corridor leading to the elevator and his apartment door. The air felt heavy, almost like it was listening. He knew Sheldon was in his apartment, probably with his eye pressed to a peephole, a grim, victorious smile on his face.
Aron took a step. The System hummed again, a sharp, precise ping.
[SYSTEM: WARNING: PRESSURE PLATE DETECTED. LOCATION: 1.5 METERS FROM YOUR LEFT FOOT. CAUTION: DO NOT STEP ON IT.]
He stopped dead in his tracks. Oh, he's serious. He looked down at the carpet. It looked normal, a standard apartment-grade beige, but he could almost feel the phantom wire underneath, a silent snare waiting for an unwary foot. He shifted his weight, putting the takeout bags down. He had to be casual about this, had to make it look like a normal, human action. He couldn't just step over it like he was a video game character.
He took a deep, theatrical breath and let out a long, weary groan. He reached down and "fixed" his sock, taking a moment to adjust the fold, his hand hovering just inches from the floor, pretending to be in deep thought. He then, with a little grunt of effort, hopped over the pressure plate with an innocent-looking, goofy little jump, as if he was just trying to avoid a stain on the carpet.
[SYSTEM: PRESSURE PLATE AVOIDED. SOCIAL CREDIT GAIN: LOW. HUMOR METRIC: HIGH.]
Glad you're amused, Aron thought, a dry smile on his face. I'm out here looking like an idiot, and you're making a spreadsheet about it.
He continued his march down the hallway, a casual, confident strut. He was passing the laundry room when the System pinged again, this time with a more urgent tone.
[SYSTEM: WARNING: INFRARED LASER TRIPWIRE DETECTED. LOCATION: WAIST-LEVEL, 2.7 METERS AHEAD. CAUTION: DO NOT BREAK THE BEAM.]
Aron's eyes flickered ahead. He didn't see anything. The air just looked like… air. But he knew it was there. He had to be careful. He couldn't just bend down and walk under it. That would look like he knew it was there. He had to be a human, a clumsy, normal human.
He pulled his keys out of his pocket, a small, jingling chain. He let them fall, a loud, clattering sound echoing in the silent hallway. He bent down to pick them up, the motion slow and deliberate, his body twisting in a way that would take him under the invisible beam. He heard a soft click from a hidden camera, a sign that Sheldon was watching, furiously scribbling notes. He stood up, a calm, victorious smile on his face. He picked up his keys and continued on his way, walking right up to the door of Apartment 4B.
He raised his hand to knock, but before he could, the door flew open. Sheldon was standing there, his face a mask of sputtering outrage.
"Aron!" Sheldon's voice was a furious whisper. "How did you do that?! How did you know?! How did you avoid my traps?! It is a logical impossibility! I have motion sensors, pressure plates, and a low-frequency hum generator! You should have been caught!"
Aron just smiled. He held up the takeout bags.
"Sheldon," Aron said, his voice calm and unbothered. "Did you know that the ventilation system in this building creates a unique signature that can alert a trained ear to minute changes in air pressure? It's fascinating."
He handed Sheldon a takeout box.
"Here," Aron said. "This is a gift from a grateful friend. I figured you'd be too busy to cook tonight. It's the Pad See Ew you like, extra spicy."
Sheldon's face was a study in sputtering, confused outrage. He looked from Aron's calm, smiling face to the takeout box in his hand. He was speechless.
Leonard, who had been watching the entire exchange from the couch, just sighed. He walked over to the door, took the takeout from Sheldon's hand, and sat back down.
"Sheldon," Leonard said, his voice a weary sigh. "People are just weird sometimes. Just let it go."
Sheldon just stared at Aron, his eyes narrowed. He looked at the takeout box in his hand, then back at Aron.
"I will not let it go, Leonard," Sheldon said, his voice a low, furious whisper. "There is a logical explanation. And I will find it. He is a third-party variable. He is an unknown element. And I will find out what he is."
Aron just smiled. He looked at Sheldon, a small, knowing wink.
He's trying to find the man in the machine, Aron thought. He doesn't know the man is me.
He knew the game was on. The game of cat and mouse, of logic and mystery. And he was the puppet master. He left the apartment, the weight of his secret a familiar burden, knowing that the next encounter with Sheldon would be a true test of his ability to outwit the most logical mind he knew.
Love [ The Big Bang Theory IT Guy ]? Unlock More Chapters and Support the Story!
Dive deeper into the world of [ The Big Bang Theory IT Guy ] with exclusive access to 35+ chapters on my Patreon, plus new fanfic every week! Your support starting at just $5/month helps me keep crafting the stories you love across epic universes like [Grimm, Teen Wolf ,blacklist,Game Of Throne ,MCU and Arrowverse].
By joining, you're not just getting more chapters—you're helping me bring new worlds, twists, and adventures to life. Every pledge makes a huge difference!
👉 Join now at patreon.com/TheFinex5 and start reading today!