CHAPTER 5: THE FUN FUND FIASCO
The air inside the laser tag arena was thick with the scent of ozone and stale popcorn. A pulsating techno beat thrummed through the room, its bass vibrating in Aron's chest. The lights were low, a mix of blacklights and strobes that made their neon-colored vests glow. Aron, clad in a sleek black vest, stood at the ready. He wasn't a laser tag pro, but with the System's tactical overlay, he felt like a god.
[SYSTEM: FUN FUND: NOTIFICATION. BALANCE: $1,452.34. RECOMMENDED ACTIVITY: TEAM-BASED COMPETITION WITH HIGH SOCIAL INTERACTION. RATIONALE: OPTIMIZING GROUP COHESION.]
"Alright, people," Aron announced, a rare grin on his face. "This round is on me. I got us the VIP package, so we'll have the whole place to ourselves. And I've even got a special prize for the winner."
Howard's eyes widened. "VIP? Aron, those private games cost a fortune!"
"Don't worry about it," Aron said, a nonchalant shrug that he'd practiced in his mirror. "It's all taken care of."
Yeah, taken care of by the AI in my head. I'm a puppet master of fun.
Raj, with a newfound confidence that only a plastic laser gun could provide, stood tall. "I will not rest until my cosmic retribution has been delivered!" He then took a dramatic pose, as if preparing for a final showdown.
Leonard, on the other hand, was more concerned with the logistics. "A private game? How much does that even cost? Like, seventy bucks an hour?"
Aron just gave him a knowing wink, a gesture that was so out of character it made Leonard pause. "Let's just say my portfolio is... diversified."
[SYSTEM: SOCIAL ALGORITHM: COVER STORY PROTOCOL ACTIVATED. TOPIC: FINANCE. RECOMMENDED LINE: "A modicum of passive income via diversified portfolios." ALTERNATIVE: "I am a Nigerian prince." RATIONALE: MAXIMIZE PLAUSIBILITY.]
Aron ignored the Nigerian prince option, of course.
The game began with a blare of a horn. Sheldon, armed with a mini-whiteboard, was already furiously charting the laser tag arena's layout. "I have determined the optimal path to victory," he said, meticulously drawing on his board. "My strategy is a geometric progression of strategic choke-points and temporal de-facto zones."
He was immediately shot by a seven-year-old girl who had snuck into the arena.
The rest of the game was a chaotic symphony of frantic beeps, shouts of victory, and Howard's over-the-top battle cries. Raj, who had started the game as an "omnipotent death god," quickly devolved into a giggling pile of lasers. Aron, with the System's tactical overlay, was a silent predator. He took out Leonard, then Howard, and finally, a stunned Sheldon, all with a single, perfectly aimed shot.
After the game, the group piled into a private room. The smell of hot pizza replaced the metallic odor of ozone. Aron had ordered an absurd amount of gourmet pizza—toppings ranging from prosciutto to truffle oil. It was decadent and expensive.
"Alright, Mr. Moneybags," Penny said, taking a massive bite out of a slice. "Where do you get all this cash? I mean, no offense, but a Caltech IT guy doesn't make enough to buy a private laser tag game and, like, a hundred dollars worth of pizza."
Aron froze. He knew this moment was coming. He'd rehearsed it in his head a thousand times, and the System had provided its own, more ridiculous, options.
"Yeah, I'm with Penny," Leonard said, his brow furrowed. "I've been doing some mental math, and it just doesn't add up. Even if you're a genius IT guy, your salary... well, it's not a lot."
[SYSTEM: COVER STORY: DEPLOY. RATIONALE: MAINTAIN SECRECY. REHEARSED RESPONSE: "I received a modest inheritance and have been making some savvy crypto investments."]
Aron leaned back in his chair, taking a moment to breathe. He looked at each of them. Penny, suspicious but friendly. Leonard, worried and logical. Sheldon, eating a slice of pizza but still studying him like a lab rat.
"You guys have to promise not to tell anyone," Aron said, leaning in. "But… my great-aunt Mildred passed away a few months ago and left me a little money. She always said I was 'too brilliant for my own good,' so she wanted to make sure I had some capital to invest." He paused, letting the story sink in. "I've been making a few lucky bets in the crypto market. Just small things here and there. Nothing crazy."
He hoped his face was believable. The truth was far weirder. The Passive Income Loop was an automated, self-sustaining stream of digital cash.
Leonard, still suspicious, held up his hands and started to count on his fingers. "Okay, so let's say a modest inheritance is, like, ten thousand dollars. And a few lucky crypto bets... maybe you double it? So twenty thousand? That's still not enough to be throwing around this kind of cash."
Aron just smirked, a look of calm amusement on his face. "Relax, Leonard. Not all equations have a single solution. Some of them... just have a lot of variables."
Suddenly, his phone buzzed.
[SYSTEM: CALTECH NETWORK VULNERABILITY DETECTED. SEVERITY: LOW. RATIONALE: PROVIDE LEGITIMATE REASON FOR ARON'S IT-SAVVINESS AND SHIFT THE CONVERSATION. RECOMMENDED ACTION: LEAVE GROUP.]
"Hey, guys, I've got to go," Aron said, standing up. "My phone just got a network alert from work. Something's up with the university's server, and they need me to take a look."
Leonard's eyes lit up. "Wait, a network alert? I didn't get one. What kind of vulnerability?"
Aron just held up his phone, a screen filled with cryptic code. "Just a small one. Nothing for you guys to worry about. But I'll need to go to my lab to check it out."
He said goodbye and left, leaving the group to stare at each other. Leonard was left with a lingering suspicion, and Penny was left with a half-eaten slice of expensive pizza. He had dodged a bullet. For now.
He knew what the System was trying to do. It was giving him a plausible, legitimate reason for his actions. It was an alibi, a way to keep his secrets safe. As he walked back to his apartment, the System pinged him again, a new message on his screen.
[SYSTEM PING: CALTECH NETWORK VULNERABILITY DETECTED. SOCIAL CREDIT OPPORTUNITY: HIGH. ACTIVATE VULNERABILITY SCANNER? Y/N.]
Aron smiled. The game was far from over.
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!