fandomhigh | Day After Doomsday, Thursday, Per 2

Hardison was in a much better mood this week, clapping his hands together once to get the class's attention and smiling at them when they looked over. "So, welcome to Week Two of your Doomsday Scenario. Last week's class went over really well--so well that you managed to knock off two of the potential problems I was gonna throw at you. The first is food; worst case scenario, if no one had bothered worryin' about food at all, you'd'a walked in next week and been told your supplies were gone an' you had a week to fix it before y'all starved. Better case scenario, assumin' that someone was at least keepin' an eye on your food, you'd'a been told your food supplies were critically low, givin' you some extra time to figure somethin' else out. But y'all have gone above an' beyond that, workin' together to bring food in through huntin' an' scoutin' missions, so food shortage ain't somethin' y'all have to worry about right now. Rations are thin an' everyone spends their time kinda hungry, but no one's about to starve, good job. I heard plans for rooftop gardens and convertin' some of the old rooms to greenhouses, so you're thinkin' ahead, focusin' on just more than the immediate future. That's great! Also, this week, y'all were gonna lose power, includin' the fridges an' stoves, but that is also not a problem anymore. The cold room is bein' maintained an' keepin' the fresh food fresh, which meant that the fridges could be harvested for scrap parts. From them scrap bits an' some other things here an' there, you were able to tune up the generator, makin' in more efficient as well as removin' a major power draw, an' so you've got at least another week or so of power available to you." His grin grew even bigger as he looked at the class. "Y'all went from havin' a very low life-expectancy rate at the end of the first class to solvin' problems I'd planned to spring on you at the end of the second. That's really awesome an' I'm proud of y'all. As a reward..."

He pressed a button and several piles of items appeared at his feet. "As a reward, your scouts have brought back some useful supply caches. In there we got some better weapons, including a few slings, machetes, and some bow an' arrows." Still no guns, in case anyone had gotten their hopes up. "We got some canned food here, including a nice batch of dextro-aminos, so y'all are gonna have to decide--increase your rations so y'all stop bein' so hungry an' tired all the time, or use them to supplement how long your rations'll last. If you ration this an' continue to trap an' hunt, you can probably get to the 5th class before you run out. You start eatin' better, you'll feel better, but you'll only get to class four. That's somethin' y'all might wanna discuss." You know. As a suggestion. "An' while most of the school--includin' the library--is still in shambles or otherwise impassable, y'all were able to find a vocational classroom an' grab a buncha books. There's a coupla basic manuals here for electrical work, plumbin', automotive repair, an' some kinda survivalist handbook. Might come in handy, I dunno."

"You also got a radio with a broadcasting setup, though it runs on wires and bits of machinery, not entrails, so, I, uhh, hope that works for you," Hardison added, really unsure why the entrails had been necessary in the first place. "Self-defense classes have been offered, but I don't know how many of you are takin' 'em. If that's somethin' you're into, you should remember to tell me that when you give me your instructions for next week. Remember, that kinda thing will burn through your calories faster, but it might make you live a little longer if you get face to face with one of those--whatever is out there. Additionally, scouts have additional information, but that's for them to know about an' they'll decide what it is they share."

That took care of pretty much everything he had on his agenda to report, so he nodded at them. "Doesn't look like anything too terrible is happenin'. You might wanna start thinkin' about your livin' space an' what it means, what you should do with it, but that's all on y'all. As always, I'mma be over with my laptop, waitin' for you to come over an' tell me your plans for next week. Let's keep it up, y'all! Keep beatin' me at my own game!"

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"Keelah," Tali muttered, abandoning her attempt to estimate how much they could stretch out the food rations without getting dangerously malnourished. She grabbed one of the machetes (she really missed her shotgun right now) and approached the nearest doorway cautiously. "That sounds like it's in the plumbing, doesn't it?"

"Or maybe it is the plumbing," Raven said, having bulked up automatically at the sound. So don't mind the half-naked 300 pound leather boy next to you, Tali. "What does it sound like when the running water stops working?"

This had been lurking in the back of her mind: where would they go to the bathroom if the water cut out entirely? They'd have to figure out a way to rig something fortified outside, just to keep the indoors liveable.

Mind? No, not at all. That was reassuring somehow. Like having a krogan around, only less scary.

"Something like that, probably, but with ominous noises coming from outside, too, it might be too soon to assume the plumbing isn't trying to kill us."

As for the question of the bathroom, Tali admittedly hadn't given it much thought. The envirosuits . . . took care of a lot.

That would make things easier for her, at least.

"I'm going to check it out," Raven decided. Though she didn't move yet. "By . . . looking in a toilet? I guess?"

Gross.

Only until she ran out of filters.

"Do you need someone to go with you?"

"Couldn't hurt," Raven said. Though if it were some sort of plumbing monster, it actually possibly could hurt. Though then the other one of them could go for more help. "Nearest bathroom's over here."

Raven started in the direction she'd indicated, still big and beefy, though she was careful to move silently.

Tali was duly impressed by how someone that size could move that quietly, though saying so would defeat the purpose.

"I'll cover you," was all she said instead, quietly, and kept a loose grip on the machete as she trailed by a couple of paces.

Hardison was very proud of his students right now. He wasn't sure how many--if any at all--would recognize the sound of pipes trying to draw water when there was none to draw.

Inside the bathroom was clear of any horrors lying in wait to kill them, which was always a bonus. The sinks were stoppered with various water levels; Elsa had been sure to fill as many sinks as possible with water during the first class. The water levels in the toilets were all low, and the groaning noises were definitely coming from the pipes leading to the bowls.

Beyond that, the bathroom was getting a little grimy. No one had mentioned cleaning over the week and so a week of use by multiple people was starting to take its toll.

These were the things your teacher spent time thinking about, yep.

Raven paused outside the door as they reached the bathroom, listening carefully before cracking it open and scanning the place.

It seemed perfectly fine.

She moved in cautiously and made her way over to the sink, shrinking back down to a more accustomed shape. "Looks like the toilets are a little low. If it's the water shutting off, we should be able to find out by just turning on the taps."

"That would almost be a relief," Tali muttered. "Only almost. Having to fight something that came slithering up through the drains -- I don't think we're equipped for that."

Reaching out to the nearest sink, she carefully twisted the tap just a tiny bit, then a bit more, then a little bit more, just about as far as it would ordinarily take to get a thin trickle of water.

"Nothing. Maybe you'll have better luck with that one?"

Raven shook her head, turning the tap back off so it wouldn't flood the place if the water suddenly came back on. "Good thing Elsa stocked us up," she said. "We can use that for the toilets until we get them working again. I think I saw a plumbing book or two out there."

Day After Doomsday, Thursday, Per 2

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