[Originally posted at Ana Mardoll's Ramblings.]
[As I said there, I've had the idea since 2AM on the 9th, when all hope of a Clinton miraculous save crushed. Also said there, I'm not really satisfied with how it turned out.]
[Title from American Tune.]
"Good, you're not dead," Angela said in her usual way. "Get up, there's work to do."
Beth looked up at her with tear stained eyes. "What work? The world ended."
"Then what are we standing on?" Angela asked. She pushed on the ground with her feet, coming just short of jumping. "Feels like a world to me."
"You know what I mean!"
The switch from despondent to angry shook Angela for a moment, but when she recovered she said, "So the water turned to blood. Big deal. Blood's mostly water . . . I think. We'll just filter it. If we even have to. I've never heard of anything bad coming out of drinking clean blood and it's not like it's coagulating." She paused and was briefly in her own world. "Neat trick, that, by the way."
"It's not just the water," Beth said.
"And a lot of people are dead, and Angels roam, killing off anyone who isn't a straight cis gender conforming full fledged Lahayvian, and Jerusalem had a Borg cube dropped on it."
"And solar output dropped by two thirds," Beth said. "You got a plan for how we'll cope with what that will do to the climate?"
"Actually, yes," Angela said. "Remember how the earth opened up and swallowed a bunch of our friends so that they could burn for all eternity?"
Beth cried at this.
"Well if the plan is to have them burn for all eternity then the flames can't very well consume, can they?" Beth didn't answer. "So once we dig down to them and set them free they should be fine."
Beth just looked at Angela. It wasn't a nice look.
"Ok, ok; they'll need lots of therapy," Angela said, "which is part of the work we have to do. But you asked about solar output so back to that. So long as we have a hole connecting the soon to be frigid surface of the earth and magic Hell-fire that never goes out and never gets less hot, why not use it?"
"Sterling engines," Beth said.
"And you said I'd never make a perpetual motion machine," Angela said.
There was a silence. Beth looked somewhat better.
"Now there's a famine on, there's a need to dig to Hell, there's all sort's of stuff to do, and I'd really like your help," Angela said.
"Hydroponics?" Beth asked.
"If I put the plants in the water turned to blood," Angela said, "would that mean that I don't need fertilizer?"
"You have no idea how to do anything, do you?" Beth asked.
"Which is why I need you," Angela said. "Come on, it's just the apocalypse, or Armageddon, or both, not the end of the world. We have a lot of work to do." Angela offered Beth a hand.
Beth took it, and pulled herself to her feet. "Same as always."
"Same as always," Angela agreed.
[As I said there, I've had the idea since 2AM on the 9th, when all hope of a Clinton miraculous save crushed. Also said there, I'm not really satisfied with how it turned out.]
[Title from American Tune.]
"Good, you're not dead," Angela said in her usual way. "Get up, there's work to do."
Beth looked up at her with tear stained eyes. "What work? The world ended."
"Then what are we standing on?" Angela asked. She pushed on the ground with her feet, coming just short of jumping. "Feels like a world to me."
"You know what I mean!"
The switch from despondent to angry shook Angela for a moment, but when she recovered she said, "So the water turned to blood. Big deal. Blood's mostly water . . . I think. We'll just filter it. If we even have to. I've never heard of anything bad coming out of drinking clean blood and it's not like it's coagulating." She paused and was briefly in her own world. "Neat trick, that, by the way."
"It's not just the water," Beth said.
"And a lot of people are dead, and Angels roam, killing off anyone who isn't a straight cis gender conforming full fledged Lahayvian, and Jerusalem had a Borg cube dropped on it."
"And solar output dropped by two thirds," Beth said. "You got a plan for how we'll cope with what that will do to the climate?"
"Actually, yes," Angela said. "Remember how the earth opened up and swallowed a bunch of our friends so that they could burn for all eternity?"
Beth cried at this.
"Well if the plan is to have them burn for all eternity then the flames can't very well consume, can they?" Beth didn't answer. "So once we dig down to them and set them free they should be fine."
Beth just looked at Angela. It wasn't a nice look.
"Ok, ok; they'll need lots of therapy," Angela said, "which is part of the work we have to do. But you asked about solar output so back to that. So long as we have a hole connecting the soon to be frigid surface of the earth and magic Hell-fire that never goes out and never gets less hot, why not use it?"
"Sterling engines," Beth said.
"And you said I'd never make a perpetual motion machine," Angela said.
There was a silence. Beth looked somewhat better.
"Now there's a famine on, there's a need to dig to Hell, there's all sort's of stuff to do, and I'd really like your help," Angela said.
"Hydroponics?" Beth asked.
"If I put the plants in the water turned to blood," Angela said, "would that mean that I don't need fertilizer?"
"You have no idea how to do anything, do you?" Beth asked.
"Which is why I need you," Angela said. "Come on, it's just the apocalypse, or Armageddon, or both, not the end of the world. We have a lot of work to do." Angela offered Beth a hand.
Beth took it, and pulled herself to her feet. "Same as always."
"Same as always," Angela agreed.
Inspiring. I need to try to be more like Angela sometimes.
ReplyDeleteThank you.
ReplyDelete---Redcrow