Chemistry for Anarchists, Thursday, Period 4

[tyler_gone]

The first class met in a dead standard laboratory classroom, with Bunsen burners before each student and running water at each of the long tables. The teacher leaned against his desk, face unreadable as his eyes evaluated each student.

After the students were assembled, Tyler began to talk.

"So this is Chemistry for Anarchists, where you guys will learn 15 ways to blow up a 7-Eleven using only what's in the store. I'm not going to tell you to blow up a 7-Eleven; I'm also not here to shake my finger at you and tell you not to. This class is for your information.

"My name is Tyler Durden. Call me Tyler, call me Mr. Durden, whatever works. Looks like about five of you would know me from when I was here as a student." And here he glanced at Jamie first, then at Dean, Katara, Rikku, Sokka assuming they're all there and I didn't forget anyone. "That's fine, it's great to be back. Just remember I'm not one this time.

"Your mission this week is making soap. It's a basic project -- rendered fat, lye, cold water and that's it. You can add scents or color if you want to. Supplies and directions are at the workstations. Lye's nothing to screw around with." He held up one hand, showed a mottled roundish scar on the back. "This is what happens if you get lye on your wet skin.

"And the reason we start with soap? Because one of the byproducts of soap-making is glycerin." He held up a container of the clear, slippery stuff. "You can mix it back in. Makes nicer soap, makes your skin soft. Or you can add nitric acid and get nitroglycerin. That is the kind of fact we love in this class.

"But before we start on the soap, we have to do that introductions thing. Name, age, why you took the class, and" -- he smiled for the first time -- "who you would fight out of anyone, living or dead. Fictional figures included."

He left unspoken his need for a TA. He figured the introductions would let him know who he wanted.

Comments

Re: Introductions [Chemistry, 5/15]

[the_merriest]

"I'm Rikku, I'm sixteen and I took this class because I like science-y stuff like chemistry, both 'cause you can use it to blow stuff up and because I like knowing how all the little bits go together and what makes what. And because I'm kinda an anarchist. I took down a government once, I mean, it was all crap about religion and not questioning authority and not thinking for yourself and the heck with that."

She had to consider the last one. "You mean, like, who'd be good to fight, or -- like, could I wish someone back from the dead just so I could beat the crap out of them again?"

Re: Introductions [Chemistry, 5/15]

[tyler_gone]

Tyler nodded in approval at her background. "Nice. What happened after the government came down?"

He shrugged. "Take the question however you want it. One person, living or dead, fictional or real, who makes your fists itch more than anyone else."

Re: Introductions [Chemistry, 5/15]

[the_merriest]

"I thought things would change," Rikku frowned, still somehow idealistic enough to be disappointed by that. "I mean, some of it did, but ... it was supposed to be, here, you're free, think for yourself. And now people are trying to set everything back up the way it was. They don't have Yevon to tell them what to do, so they try to get Yunie to do it. Is it that hard to just go, hey, here's what I think is right and wrong, here's what I believe, here's what I stand for? And not get wisdom handed down to you in a book, so you can highlight the important bits and go take a nap? Hmm, what do I think about cats? Oh, there's a chapter on cats. That's a relief, I almost had to decide for myself."

She exhaled noisily. "I'd fight Yunalesca again. You wouldn't know her. She stood there and told us that hope was pointless and tried to get Yunie to kill herself because it was the only way to save the world and -- I'd rip that bitch's hair out."

Re: Introductions [Chemistry, 5/15]

[tyler_gone]

Tyler pursed his lips, concentrating on Rikku's story. "For a lot of people, yeah. Making those kinds of decisions just wipes them out. We're conditioned to follow from the time we're little. It takes real strength not to."

Re: Introductions [Chemistry, 5/15]

[the_merriest]

"Maybe ... the only reason the Al Bhed are different is 'cause we were told we were, then," Rikku frowned. "And we don't follow because that's what we learned, instead. Wow. That's kinda a depressing thought, though."