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

[worsethanaunts.livejournal.com]

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."

Comments

Re: Listen to the Lecture, Talk Quietly, Look Around

[redandblueblur.livejournal.com]

"So long as you're in human form," Clark did not mean to say loud enough so she could hear.

Re: Listen to the Lecture, Talk Quietly, Look Around

[wrongkindofsith]

"And what exactly is that supposed to mean?" Cara had been a very deadly chipmunk she'd have you know.

Re: Listen to the Lecture, Talk Quietly, Look Around

[redandblueblur.livejournal.com]

"That you could have been hurt as a chipmunk but I was ready to save you if necessary." Clark pursed his lips, glancing around and wondering if there was some sort of kryptonite in the room to screw with him.

Re: Listen to the Lecture, Talk Quietly, Look Around

[wrongkindofsith]

So what if she'd been approximately two inches long, she hadn't needed protecting. "And there I was thinking you were keeping me around because you liked me, not because you thought I was helpless."

She hadn't meant to say that, or to sound hurt while she said it.

Re: Listen to the Lecture, Talk Quietly, Look Around

[redandblueblur.livejournal.com]

"I don't think you're helpless!" The benefit of being a big ball of truthiness was that most of Clark's words remained intact. "I think everyone needs a little help sometimes and I know you're never going to let me help you while you're walking and talking."

Re: Listen to the Lecture, Talk Quietly, Look Around

[wrongkindofsith]

"That's because if I'm capable of walking and talking, I clearly don't need anyone's help, and I'm not going to pretend otherwise as a sop to your ego."

Those last six words kind of just slipped out there. Whoops.

Re: Listen to the Lecture, Talk Quietly, Look Around

[redandblueblur.livejournal.com]

"So you think my ego needs you to be incapable?" Clark asked, feeling a wave of what had to be shock washing over him.

Re: Listen to the Lecture, Talk Quietly, Look Around

[wrongkindofsith]

Well, not in those terms exactly. "I think you have this idea you have to save everyone." Which certainly didn't remind her of Richard. At all. "Richard's the exact same way, and it's sweet, and irritating, but I neither want or deserve rescuing."

Need. She'd meant to say 'need' there.

Re: Listen to the Lecture, Talk Quietly, Look Around

[redandblueblur.livejournal.com]

"Right, you don't want me to help you, even if you were dying in a ditch and I could take you to a doctor fast. Don't you think that's a little weird, Cara?"

Re: Listen to the Lecture, Talk Quietly, Look Around

[wrongkindofsith]

Cara didn't have an answer for that, at least not one that could be easily verbalised. "Why would I be dying in a ditch in the first place?"

Re: Listen to the Lecture, Talk Quietly, Look Around

[redandblueblur.livejournal.com]

"Well, if you ever came to Smallville, chances are something horrible would happen because that is just how it goes when I'm at home. Which explains why my parents haven't begged me to visit on break." Clark could've done without that verbalization.

Re: Listen to the Lecture, Talk Quietly, Look Around

[wrongkindofsith]

"It can hardly be worse than some of the things that have already happened to me." Which she had no intention of elaborating on if at all possible. "And I'm sure they want you to visit."

A change in the subject? Cara would like to pounce on that, yes she would.

Re: Listen to the Lecture, Talk Quietly, Look Around

[redandblueblur.livejournal.com]

"Like what things?" Clark asked. There was no way he was letting that opportunity pass him by.

Re: Listen to the Lecture, Talk Quietly, Look Around

[wrongkindofsith]

"Things I don't want to talk about." That she could say with complete honesty. "Not in public." Not at all.

Re: Listen to the Lecture, Talk Quietly, Look Around

[redandblueblur.livejournal.com]

"Not that I'll expect any sharing in private," Clark blurted.

Re: Listen to the Lecture, Talk Quietly, Look Around

[wrongkindofsith]

"Well, some of us have secrets that don't make them look better when they're revealed," Cara snapped in return.

Stupid Richard and Kahlan, actually making her care about (select) others' opinions of her.

Re: Listen to the Lecture, Talk Quietly, Look Around

[redandblueblur.livejournal.com]

"And some of us would be perfectly happy not having secrets and just being normal like everyone else," he retorted, trying not to look hurt.

Re: Listen to the Lecture, Talk Quietly, Look Around

[wrongkindofsith]

"Being stronger than usual doesn't make you abnormal." So someone had a slightly skewed sense of what constituted normal. "Not in a bad way."

Re: Listen to the Lecture, Talk Quietly, Look Around

[redandblueblur.livejournal.com]

Clark shook his head. "You'd say differently if you'd seen me with the red rock, doing whatever I felt like and abusing people."

Re: Listen to the Lecture, Talk Quietly, Look Around

[wrongkindofsith]

"You wouldn't know the first thing about abusing people. You wouldn't even know how." Unlike other people involved in this conversation.

Re: Listen to the Lecture, Talk Quietly, Look Around

[redandblueblur.livejournal.com]

"Oh and you would? You're no evil mastermind, Cara. I know the good in you." At least, that was how she felt to him.

Re: Listen to the Lecture, Talk Quietly, Look Around

[wrongkindofsith]

"I do know." Cara's voice was so very small, just then.

Re: Listen to the Lecture, Talk Quietly, Look Around

[redandblueblur.livejournal.com]

Cara's was never a small voice. It was enough to give Clark pause and take a moment to consider what she was saying to reply with honest feeling. "Do you think that should change anything?"

Re: Listen to the Lecture, Talk Quietly, Look Around

[wrongkindofsith]

"You should stop thinking of me as a good person." Cara refused to look him in the eye. "I'm not."

Re: Listen to the Lecture, Talk Quietly, Look Around

[redandblueblur.livejournal.com]

"You are a good person," Clark reminded her quietly, believing the truth in his words. "I've seen proof enough."