Paradox-o-Rama End of the World Drabbles
Prompt: Global Warming
There wasn't much water left. What was available was fiercely guarded and carefully rationed. The earth was scorched, dust thick in the wind. Trees that stood for hundreds of years withered in the never ending sunlight and the air became hard to breathe.
She was used to the smell of burning, living in California for so long, but it wasn't the same when it was the planet. She used to be so proud of her skin. She babied with it lotions and always made sure to wear sunscreen, but there was no sunscreen that could block these rays. Her skin was like reddish leather now, constantly cracking from the lack of moisture in the air.
It was no longer a time for vanities or luxuries. It was all about survival. Even then, she wondered at the futility of it all. This wasn't a problem that could be fixed. Science had failed long ago. Now, it was simply a matter of squeezing out another moment of living, another hour, another day.
Religion aside, she questioned herself constantly, debated whether all of this struggle was worth it. What was the point of fighting to stay alive in this fiery hell? It was the promise she'd made him. The boys had protected her the best they could, but one by one, they'd all fallen. Sheldon had been the last. She'd held him, huddled in the bathroom of an abandoned gas station, her hands coated with his blood. She'd sobbed, pleaded, begged him not to leave her alone, but it was obviously beyond his control.
As he laid there, he made her promise to keep to fighting, to do whatever it took surviving. She was too strong, he said, to take the coward's way out. She'd promised and now she was trapped on this planet that was slowly burning alive. Only for Sheldon, she swore, only for Sheldon.
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Prompt: Plague
They thought it was a virulent form of chicken pox at first. It spread through kindergartens and day cares across the country, before leaping over to long-term care facilities and assisted living. They should've known. The young and the elderly are always the first to die.
Once the spots appeared, the fever would soon follow. Victims pleaded for warmth, even as sweat dripped down their bodies. It was almost like burning from the inside out. Next was the thirst. They would beg for water, drink until they vomited, still begging for more. Their skin became thin, paper-like, cracking from the dehydration. Spots of blood would decorate the sickbeds. Never more than droplets though; the body held onto whatever moisture it could get. Finally, the heart just stopped. It was like blood dried up in the veins, turning into red dust, no longer providing the impetus for a heart to beat.
After three months of a gradual build-up, Howard's mother got sick. He nursed her, as any good Jewish son would do. She lasted a week before she passed and by that time, Howard too was ill. Sheldon had flown into quarantine mode and practically barricaded himself into his room. He refused to go to Howard's funeral and then Raj's. It was only when word came from Missy that their mother was sick did he finally emerge.
It was too late by then. He was a physicist, one of the greatest minds alive, but biology wasn't one of his fields of expertise. He could muddle through the research, understood the basic train of thought, and yet it simply wasn't enough. Before the government imposed the quarantines, he forced Leonard and Penny to go with him to Texas. After three hours of travel, Leonard set off to find his family, but Penny met his gaze grimly and they pressed on.
His mother died. So did his brother. By the fourth months, they were learning that some were immune to this plague. He and Missy never became ill. He threw himself into learning everything he could, making excursions to obtain whatever lab equipment he could from the abandoned buildings. Penny helped Missy fortify their position, stocked supplies, and did whatever it took to make their bunker comfortable as they waited for the plague to burn itself out.
He worked feverishly in his makeshift lab, exchanging what communications he could with the few other immune scientists. Finally, after a year, news came from an outpost in Canada. There was a vaccine! It wouldn't be enough to save those already sick, but it could prevent the plague from spreading, end the decimation of the human race.
They'd found out around the eighth month that Penny wasn't immune. It was only Sheldon's anal germaphobe procedures that had kept her safe. Elated by the news that there was a way to protect her, that he no longer had to face the possibility of losing her, he raced up the stairs to find them.
Missy was sobbing in the makeshift kitchen when he rounded the computer and one look at Penny's face told him the news.
He buried her next to his mother.
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Prompt: Trouble in the Core
The earthquakes became more persistent as the Earth's core destabilized. Bits of California began to crumble into the Pacific oceans. Hawaii was lost to a massive tsunami and another one wrecked havoc in Asia. Raj spent three weeks constantly buzzed, trying desperately to get his family out of India. The States weren't necessarily safer, but there wasn't the overpopulation issue and lack of resources. Sheldon sent Penny and the kids to her family in Nebraska, citing the lack of fault lines made it the safest place. His family in Texas would join them as soon as he could manage it. She wanted to beg him to come with them, but she knew he had to be here.
Scientists across the US and the world formed a giant consortium to pool their resources & knowledge, regardless of their area of expertise. They were working off two pronged approach: 1) Ideas on how to stop it, 2) Contingency plans if they can't stop it. Sheldon was working frantically on worst case scenarios, consulting with Howard on the feasibility of any of the plans working. It taken a metaphoric frying pan to the head to make him realize his feelings for Penny after all those years and he was greedy enough to want as much time as possible with her.
When volcanoes across the world began erupting, they knew they were almost out of time. There was only one shot to make this work, only one shot to save the planet they called home. They asked for volunteers and Sheldon refused. This plan would either work or not. If it didn't, there would be no need for survival plans. He was going to Nebraska, to his family, and they would wait it out, together.
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Prompt: Nanobots
This is kinda a double fanfiction. Apologies to Lynsay Sands...
It took them a while to notice, but eventually, they caught on to the fact that while the rest of them were turning old and gray, Penny and Sheldon were not. Penny's skin remained as unwrinkled as ever, despite giving birth to two children. Sheldon was just Sheldon, seemingly locked in carbonite, never changing. When confronted about it, Penny simply pointed to Sheldon and said,
"It's his fault."
Her husband whirled to face her, scandalized.
"Penny! What part of 'Eternal Oath of Secrecy' did you not understand?"
She planted a hand on her hip and pointed up at him.
"Don't 'Oath of Secrecy' me! I told you five years ago that we should start taking precautions or leave, and you were all, 'Their powers of observation are hardly acute, they won't be astute enough to notice.'"
Sheldon was silent for a moment before replying,
"You memorized that just for this, didn't you?"
Penny smirked up at him.
"I wasn't wrong, was I?"
Leonard tugged his collar a little self consciously. The sexual tension was getting fierce. Typical Penny and Sheldon.
"Um, guys? Perhaps we could return to the question at hand."
The couple looked at them, a little confused. He knew it, they'd nearly forgotten the other men were in the room. Talk about powers of observation, when they got going, nothing could penetrate their haze. Penny gave a little headshake and started bustling around. She ushered the guests into the living room to sit while Sheldon sat in his chair and folded his hands. Oh, damn. Leonard hated when he folded his hands. This wasn't going to be a simple explanation with folded hands. They were talking full-on lecture, possibly with diagrams and equations. Sheldon cleared his throat and said,
"Nanobots."
They waited, but he seemed disinclined to continue. Leonard stared in disbelief. That was it? A one-word response? Nanobots? Penny came bustling back in with tea and coffee. She carefully placed the tray down on the table and then slapped Sheldon on the back of the head.
"Dumbass, you can't be all 'Nanobots' and not explain."
"Penny, as I have endeavored to explain to you over the last fifteen years, Eternal Oaths of Secrecy are not things to be trifled with and the penalties for breaking them are quite heavy."
Penny looked at him thoughtfully for a moment before shrugging and said,
"Sheldon secretly works for the government in a secret division that injected nanobots into his bloodstream. When we got married, he made them give me an injection too. The 'bots repair all the cellular damage, which is why we look so young. Does anyone want sugar?"
Sheldon groaned and slumped back into his chair. Leonard tried to get more details, but Penny had evidently said all she planned to. After an hour of futility, they left.
As the door closed behind them, Penny breathed a sigh of relief. She turned to look at Sheldon, who was looking at her intently, fingertips pressed together.
"A government secret division?"
Penny rolled her eyes as she collected the discarded cups.
"What was I supposed to tell them? The truth? You're a descendant of the lost continent of Atlantis and you were born with the nanobots in your bloodstream? That after we were married, you converted me? Oh, I know, we should've told them that we need to drink blood to replenish what the nanobots use. Howard would've followed me around constantly, asking me to bite him. No, thank you. I wasn't able to deal with that."
Sheldon stood up in a smooth movement, his fangs peeking out below his upper lip.
"Penelope, you know how I get when you become all devious. I think I'm feeling a bit...hungry."
She giggled as her husband stalked towards her. Give her a lanky, beautiful-mind type, nanobot fueled, non-sparkly vampire any day of the week!
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Prompt: 12 Gauge
In the corner of their garage, there is an old 12-Gauge shotgun. It had belonged to their paternal grandfather, who had passed before they were born. Their father takes it out once a month to clean it. Sometimes he'd disappear into the woods behind their house and the sounds of the shotgun blast would echo through the air. It always made their mother nervous when he did that. Her lips would get all pinched and her shoulders would be all tense until their father came striding out past the treeline.
There was a story attached to that shotgun, a story they were never told. They were always told it wasn't necessary for them to know, they were too young, and a million other excuses. They didn't accept that as an excuse. Between them, they pieced together what they could. The story starts before the Outbreak. There are photo albums hidden in the attic, filled with faces that didn't have names. Their father is in one, surrounded by four strangers. One of the strangers is in another picture with their mother, his arms wrapped around her waist. Every year on Remembrance Day, their father lights four candles. The oldest among them points out that it's logical to assume he's remembering the strangers.
They learned about the Outbreak in history class. The older ones shared the story with the young ones, hidden in the barn, speaking in hushed tones. Their parents never talk about it. It was really a simple story, when you boiled it down. There was a virus. It struck quickly, struck hard, and a victim would die, only to come back wrong. At first, they thought the victims were simply recovering, but they'd soon discovered they were wrong. The teachers were always fuzzy on the details at that point, but every country suffered great losses. The adults back then had figured out rather quickly that if they burned the Came-Backers, they would die once and for all. The youngest pointed out that their father kept a shotgun, not a flame-thrower. The second oldest pointed out smugly that the Came-Backers wouldn't exactly stand still to be burned alive. The remarks resulted in a brief fistfight until their father walked in to do the afternoon milking.
As the years pass, the shotgun stays in the garage. They don't go near it, don't even touch, although curiosity eats at them sometimes. Their father made sure they were all trained up on firearms proficiency, but it is a relic from a time gone by. Their parents still don't talk about the Outbreak. They decide to let their questions slip into the past as they grow up and focus more firmly on the future.
When the oldest is seventeen, she meets a boy and falls in love. Her beau has a decent plot of land, split from his parents' homestead on the opposite side of town. They're talking about getting married and she knows by the furrows in his forehead that her father isn't thrilled with the idea. One night, he calls a family meeting. Her mother protests, but he tells her it's time. They gather in the living room, surrounding the dusty old albums lying open. He names the strangers one by one.
Penny. Raj. Howard. Leonard.
Then he tells them the truth they'd always suspected. They weren't all the natural children of their parents. Penny had been his wife. Their mother was Leonard's widow. Raj was married to their aunt Missy. During the Outbreak, their main priority had been protecting the children. Penny had been one of the first to fall ill. His voice cracks and tears slide down the oldest's cheek as she traces the face of her mother with a fingertip. She recognizes now, the bits of her that came from her birth mother. Their father regains his composure and is about to continue when she heads him off.
"We already know about the Outbreak from school. Tell us about our parents. What was my mother like?"
His breath shudders and he answers, "When she smiled, it was the sunrise."
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Prompt: Prophecy
Leonard had always scoffed at her belief in astrology and Sheldon was always downright hostile. Personally, she thought it was funny that they were so threatened by the idea that the future was knowable. Wasn't that the whole point of their jobs? To figure out stuff and why it happens? She just looked at it in a different way.
Her friend Bethany dragged her to a tea shop where the owner was supposed to give super accurate readings of tea leaves. She hadn't really been in the mood because she had another wicked fight with Sheldon about some dumbass crap. She couldn't imagine her life without the big, giant whack-a-doodle across the hall, but sometimes she just wanted to whack him on the noggin with a frying pan, to get some friggin' peace. Just because she liked something or thought it was cool didn't necessarily mean it was 'low brow.' Still, she went with Bethany because she'd been hanging out with the guys so much, it was good to get a little girl time in.
She ordered a lovely chamomile and sipped it slowly, letting the tension wash out of her body as she breathed in the fragrant steam. When she was nearly done, she stopped, swirled her tea three times, and then inverted it over the saucer. She'd been kinda hoping the owner would tell her she was going to get a big Hollywood role or that she'd meet the man of her dreams, but the woman just took one look at her leaves and announced that life as she knew it would be ending soon. Penny barely had time to protest before she and Bethany found herself hustled out of the store.
Penny probably would have gone barreling back inside to get her money back, but she got the call from Sheldon moments later. His MeeMaw had passed away. She immediately rushed home to find him curled up on his bed, hot tears staining his pillow. She stayed with him through the night and ended up going to Texas with him the next day. Seeing him in Texas, away from California and softened by grief, he looked different, he seemed different. Something changed between them on that trip. She would never be able to figure out if it'd been there all along or if the time away had been what was needed for it to grow.
When they returned to Pasadena, Sheldon wasn't just the whack-a-doodle across the hall anymore. He was her boyfriend. A year after that, and it was no longer his apartment, but theirs. A year and a half after that, Penny found herself standing at the end of a church aisle, staring up at Sheldon looking oddly strange in a tuxedo. He smiled nervously at her and then it was her Sheldon again. She looped her arm through her father's as she began to walk, and suddenly she remembered that long-ago tea reading. Her life had ended with that phone call, only it wasn't like the apocalypse happened or she died. No, she thought, as Sheldon reached for her, she was simply shedding the past and beginning again.
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Prompt: Maelstrom
"I really don't see the necessity of going on this ride. It's not like it's going to be historically accurate."
Penny sighed.
"You'll do it because it's hot out and I'd like to be inside for a bit. Deal with it."
Sheldon crossed his arms stubbornly.
"Well, there might be a line. Is this ride really worth waiting for? We would be much better off securing prime viewing spots for Illuminations."
She put a hand to her forehead, counted to ten, and then looked up at him.
"Okay, what's going on? You know perfectly well that the guidebooks all say there's never any wait for this ride."
He looked vaguely unhappy and muttered to himself a bit before replying.
"There are trolls, Penny. You know how I feel about trolls. In addition, it smells vaguely like fish."
His pout shouldn't be so cute, but she figured she was allowed to be all mushy on her honeymoon.
"Sheldon, please ride Maelstrom with me. It's not the end of the world, I promise. It'll give you an excuse to hold my hand!"
"We're married. I didn't think I needed an excuse anymore."
Okay, so now she wasn't finding it quite so cute anymore.
"How often are we going to get to come to Disney World? It's on the other side of the country! I just want to try everything we can while we're here."
He tilted his head in that way that mean a lecture was coming.
"Technically, while this park is part of the overall Disney World complex, we are actually standing in Epcot, which stands for Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow. Furthermore, Florida isn't exactly across from California-"
She waved her hands in the air, cutting him off.
"Sheldon, I am about to walk on the line. Are you coming with me or staying out here?"
He looked around for a moment, peered thoughtfully at a nearby bench before glancing up at the sky. He frowned thoughtfully, while taking a moment to adjust the strap of his bag. Finally, he held out his hand. Smiling up at him, she folded her fingers around his palm and pulled him inside. She really loved being married.