Chapter 60-7, Chemistry

[AlleyCat]

Donnie looks over at Sylvia in mock-shock. "How did you figure it out? I thought I was so careful in hiding my secret identity!"

He mimes expanding up like a balloon, and then peeling off a large helmet, digging his chin into his chest and puffing out his cheeks to mimic an insanely obese person. In a strangled, gasping voice, he says "It would have succeeded to, if it weren't for you meddling kids!"

"And your f**king little dog, too! Hee hee hee!" Alicia says in a falsetto-witchy voice as she steps through the door as a rejoinder to Donnie's antics.

"Quit hogging all the sun, Sam," she mock-pouts at Sammy as she drags a chair to sit by the window and drapes herself over it.

[Seeya]

Sammy chuckles and shifts a knee to allow sunlight to shine directly onto Alicia's face.  "You can have some of the sun.  I mostly want the air."

[cassbackward]

He mimes expanding up like a balloon, and then peeling off a large helmet, digging his chin into his chest and puffing out his cheeks to mimic an insanely obese person. In a strangled, gasping voice, he says "It would have succeeded to, if it weren't for you meddling kids!"

Sylvia chortles.  "Sorry, Doughboy.  Your plan to create an army of pudgy, sedentary teens has failed.  You are the Biggest Loser."  She nudges Donnie in the ribs.  "That was pretty good, wasn't it?  Biggest Loser?  I think I'm ready for my cape and mask."

Something catches Sammy's attention, and she looks up just as Sylvia speaks.  She flashes a (breathless and starry eyed) smile, and takes the ear buds out of her ears.  "Sorry.  Did you say something to me?"  Vaguely tribal sounding music is playing.  There's something to it that is reminiscent of the medicine hut in Ajo.

"I was just cracking bad jokes," Sylvia tells Sammy.  "You look happy.  What happened?"

[Seeya]

Sammy looks confused.  "Nothing.  I was just listening to some new stuff I downloaded.  Some American Indian music from a big gathering last summer.  I was trying to find the music from Grandpa Adobe's medicine hut, but no luck."

[AlleyCat]

Sammy looks confused.  "Nothing.  I was just listening to some new stuff I downloaded.  Some American Indian music from a big gathering last summer.  I was trying to find the music from Grandpa Adobe's medicine hut, but no luck."

Alicia, leaning back to enjoy the bright sunlight, opens one eye to regard Sammy. "All I heard was some drumming. Personally, I like those Koto drummers better."

[Seeya]

Sammy looks confused.  "Nothing.  I was just listening to some new stuff I downloaded.  Some American Indian music from a big gathering last summer.  I was trying to find the music from Grandpa Adobe's medicine hut, but no luck."

Alicia, leaning back to enjoy the bright sunlight, opens one eye to regard Sammy. "All I heard was some drumming. Personally, I like those Koto drummers better."

Sammy shrugs.  "Your mileage may vary.  I guess I was remembering how good it made me feel.  Maybe it was just magic and not music."

[cassbackward]

Alicia, leaning back to enjoy the bright sunlight, opens one eye to regard Sammy. "All I heard was some drumming. Personally, I like those Koto drummers better."

"Taiko," Sylvia corrects absently, editorial skills reflexive.  "Koto is a stringed Japanese instrument."

[Doc]

Colin arrives, a little breathless, but not particularly starry-eyed. Actually he seems quite angry.

"Hi, guys. Is Mr Heep done, yet?"

[cassbackward]

"Hi, guys. Is Mr Heep done, yet?"

Sylvia says it a split second before she turns to look at him.  "Something wrong?"

[AlleyCat]

Alicia straightens from her sprawled state on the chair muttering, "Taiko sounds like a video-game company..."

She looks at Colin, trying to figure out what may be bothering him.

[secretoracle]

Mr. Heep walks in behind Colin, reading from a magazine, and bumps into the young man.  "Oh, sorry."  He looks up and sees everyone in the classroom, then looks at his watch with a bit of panic on his features, then relaxes.  "Oh.  Right."  he says, going to his desk.  He digs through his desk and pulls out a few sheets of paper, "It's strange.  The water from the sprinklers and the bottled water were perfectly normal.  Nothing in them.  Which I guess is good.  Right?"  He doesn't seem all too sure about it being good.

[AlleyCat]

"Peachy keen, Mr. H.," says Alicia breezily. "Nothin' here but a bunch of paranoid kids. Y'know, better safe than sorry, just say no, this is your brain on drugs, any questions. Thanks for the assist."

She unfolds from the chair to a stand and looks expectantly at Colin, "What's up, guy?"

[BaboonBill]

Donnie stops pantomiming Godzilla and looks curiously at Colin, waiting for an answer.

[Seeya]

Mr. Heep walks in behind Colin, reading from a magazine, and bumps into the young man.  "Oh, sorry."  He looks up and sees everyone in the classroom, then looks at his watch with a bit of panic on his features, then relaxes.  "Oh.  Right."  he says, going to his desk.  He digs through his desk and pulls out a few sheets of paper, "It's strange.  The water from the sprinklers and the bottled water were perfectly normal.  Nothing in them.  Which I guess is good.  Right?"  He doesn't seem all too sure about it being good.

Sammy drifts over next to Mr. Heep.  She peeks over his shoulder to look at the lab results.  "When you say nothing, do you really mean that, or do you mean nothing unexpected?  I'm not sure how sprinklers work, so it won't surprise me if I'm wrong, but water doesn't flow through them all the time, does it?  I mean, doesn't some of it just sit there in the sprinkler heads, waiting for the valve to be switched open?  Shouldn't there be some bacteria, or higher concentrations of sediment, or something like that?  Or does so much water flow out so fast that any stuff that might be sitting gets blown out early and washed away by the fresher water... I probably answered my own question, didn't I?"  She pushes some of her hair back over her shoulder.  "I feel perfectly n-- I don't feel any different than I did before coming in contact with the water.  I don't feel like I've been goo-ed.  Unless there's some kind of delayed reaction?  Do you think blood samples would rule that out?"

[secretoracle]

Mr. Heep looks over his shoulder at Sammy.  "It's mixed with oil usually to keep the system lubricated, but I meant nothing unexpected I guess.  No romance drug, no hate and discontent chemicals.  I asked the maintenance staff about the sprinkler failure.  The valve has been border line for a while I guess.  It was due to be replaced over the summer break along with about a dozen others."