Prompt Post Round 1
Prompts go here! This will be closed and a new post made at 3000 comments. Please link all fills to the Round 1 Fill Post.
This post is closed to new prompts! Post prompts at Round 2! Fills and comments can still be posted here.
This post is closed to new prompts! Post prompts at Round 2! Fills and comments can still be posted here.
“So what have we got here?”
“What we’ve got here, Mr. Johnson, is Attraction Spray,” the lab tech answered proudly, ignoring his boss’s skeptical expression. “Only a working name, of course. It’s a sort of aerosol glue-but much more effective than ordinary glue. See, it increases the static electricity between two surfaces so much that it binds the surfaces together. It can stick anything to anything. And it’s only mildly highly combustible.”
Johnson glanced back at his assistant, who was scribbling rapidly on her clipboard. “You’re getting this down, right Caroline?”
“Yes sir!” she chirped. Her bright, inquisitive gaze was almost as intimidating as Johnson’s this-better-not-be-a-waste-of-my-money glower.
He directed his attention back to the nervously grinning scientist. “Do we get to see this thing in action?”
“Of course!” The technician turned to the table where he’d set up his experiment: it held a bright pink aerosol can, a sheet of aluminum, and a bowl of ping-pong balls. “Watch closely.” He grabbed the aerosol, shook it thoroughly, and sprayed the aluminum with a pink cloud of fumes. Before the cloud could dissipate, he poured the bowl of ping-pong balls into it-several rolled off the table and away, but a remarkable number stuck. “Now we give it another light spritz for good measure-” He doused the display again, filling the air with the smell of ozone and artificial cherry flavoring “-and there you go!” He pried the aluminum sheet off the table and turned it upside-down. The ping-pong balls held for one beautiful instant-and then they dropped, all at once, and clattered to the floor.
The scientist’s face fell with them. He knew what was coming.
“You’re fired.”
“Sir, wait! Let me try it again! I swear it worked the last time-”
“Get out of my building, and take your crap with you. You have five minutes.” The tech disappeared out the door. Johnson squeezed his eyes shut, massaging the bridge of his nose in frustration. “Where do I find these morons, Caroline?”
Caroline, however, was distracted. Not hearing her usual prompt response, Johnson looked back to see her examining the aerosol and the pink cloud which still hung around it. She looked a little swimmy-her pupils were dilated, and something about her breathing was off. “Maybe we should look into this more closely, sir. Run some more tests. See what happens.” She sprayed a puff in front of her face and inhaled deeply, letting a slow smile spread across her features. “This could be something big.”
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