fandomhigh | Boom-De-Yada Science - Danger Shop, Wednesday, Period 1 [Week 10]

The Danger Shop was set up like an open field, the kind you might find in several states in the mid-west or further south. It was fairly warm by Danger Shop normal temperature standards and the sky was grey. A storm seemed to be lingering somewhere, but wasn't here yet.

On the ground in front of the Doctor were what looked like large lunchboxes. They were not lunchboxes. They were too big for normal lunchboxes and had delicate electronic equipment inside. Since the lids were open, everyone could see that.

"What I'm about to tell you to do," the Doctor said by way of introduction, "should never be done in the real world without proper means of getting away very, very fast. Does that count as good enough of a warning? Yes? Good." He didn't listen to any actual answers to that question. "In three minutes, a rather large tornado is going to form over there." He pointed in the direction of a big red barn on the far side of the open field. "A tornado is-" He started, then stopped. "You'll find out soon enough. They are incredibly dangerous, can be very destructive, involve very high winds and one will probably kill you if you get in the way. Not in here though. All pretend in here. Your job is to get one of these packages as close to the tornado as possible in order to use the equipment inside to scan it to better understand it. Do this without getting sucked up into it or hit by debris. In the real world, you'd be dead. Here, you'll probably only have the wind knocked out of you. Probably. The other job is to experience what this planet's extreme weather can be like." He checked his watch again. "A minute and a half. You can team up if you'd like. Better think about a good place to start."

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Claudia picked up one of the kits and scanned the horizons, actually kind of excited about this one. The chance to check out a simulated tornado in a controlled environment? Hell yeah, she was there.

Helen picked up one of the kits and nodded at Claudia. "This actually seems fun. Especially since we're fairly safe here."

"I know, right? Exactly!" Claudia grinned. "And, yeah, maybe I occasionally get tempted to run out into the storm when we get one of these back home."

Wait, why had she said that second part?

Helen raised an eyebrow, but smiled. "I can't say I've ever thought of that myself, but then I've never actually run into one before."

"Really? I kind of thought they were part of everyone's existence."

Minnesota wasn't exactly smack dab in the center of tornado alley, but it was at least a cross-street to it.

Helen shook her head. "My world has storms, but mostly thunder and lightning and torrential rain. I've only ever read about tornados."

"Well, if you gotta see one, this is way better than hiding in an apartment building's parking garage with an old football helmet on your head."

Technically, Claudia had only done that once. She'd gotten herself kicked out of that foster family a week later.

"I... um... imagine it would," Helen said slowly. She thought she'd followed most of that.

Yeah, Claudia still wasn't very good at paying attention to how intelligible she was to all her fellow students.

"Maybe take my word on that one."

"I think I shall," Helen said carefully. "Still, this is a wonderful opportunity to investigate close up."

"That totally isn't that likely to kill us!" Claudia was kind of insane, sure, but that didn't mean she had a death wish.

"Exactly!" Helen said with a smile. "We can be as reckless as we choose."

"And I do love being reckless."

"I have... often wished I could be more reckless without serious repercussions," Helen admitted.

"Yeah, I tend to just ignore the repercussions till I'm stuck with them."

Okay, seriously, she could usually pretend she had some sense of self-preservation.

Helen tilted her head to look at her. "That sounds as if it could result in some difficulties for you."

"And how. I get the feeling if they hadn't decided to send me here, I'd've ended up institutionalized."

"I would have been exiled from my world," Helen offered. "Again."

"Yeesh. And here I thought the State of Minnesota was bad. I mean, I still think that, but, ya know, perspective."

Helen nodded. "I have to make the best of what I have. I'm not sure they'll allow me home again, so I need to decide what I want to do next."

"Do you really even wanna go back? I mean, they did kick you out, right?"

Helen ducked her head. "It's my home," she said quietly. "It's a horrible place and they don't like me and maybe it makes me terribly stupid, but it's home. Maybe I wouldn't stay, but I'd like to be able to have the choice."

"I guess I can see that." Claudia shrugged. "I've never really felt like I had a home. Well, not since I was ten. And I'd kill to get that back."

"Then I hope you find it, or something like it again," Helen said sincerely.

"Well, first I have to get my brother out of inderdimensional limbo. Which looks like it'll mean kidnapping an old guy from a secure government facility in the middle of nowhere, sooooo . . . might take a little while."