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Chapter Two - Bomb Shelter

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The project was about as exciting as could be expected for a class outside of her major. While they were both working, Cass broke the silence. "So have you heard about the bunker or whatever the U is supposed to have underneath the auditorium?" She mused quietly so as not to disturb any of the other students in other cubicles.

With a smile, Thomas replied "Doesn't every school have that rumor? I'm pretty sure it's just been passed down since the fifties without any confirmation."

Cass suppressed a bit of a laugh. "No, but we actually do have one, I'm serious. I've seen the door to it and everything. It's just off the main hall, to the left, sort of by the restrooms." She leaned back in her computer chair, draping her right arm over the side facing Thomas.

The fennec, though turned away, wasn't looking at anything in particular. "I'm not familiar with the layout of the auditorium, sorry. Oh, I should probably mention I commute, so I don't have the best mental map of campus." He looked toward her as he continued. "That would be really cool though if it actually did exist. How do you know it's actually a 'bunker or whatever' from looking at the door?"

"A skeptic, huh? I'm actually not sure, but it was a big unlabeled doorway. I'm not sure what else it could be, and before you ask, no, it's not the janitor's closet and no, it's not the boiler room because they're both labeled as such." Contrary to her tone, the Junior was not really all that interested in the bomb shelter, but more interested in eliciting a response that would indicate more about his personality. At least, subconsciously that was her goal.

"Well, let's see... how about we finish this assignment and you can show me, huh? The auditorium is just over there, right?" He motioned in the direction of the doorway.

"Have you been inside the building even once?" Cass asked, slightly incredulous. She was surprised he even expressed interest in seeing the unknown doorway.

"Um, you see... no." He let out a quiet, awkward chuckle. "But there's a first time for everything, right? Anyway..." as he trailed off, the fennec turned back toward the computer screen and began reading a web page. Cass had to be satisfied with the amount she had gotten to open up, it seemed.

The two continued on in relative silence, reading and adding information to their PowerPoint for the next hour or so. Although she wasn't much of a social butterfly herself, Cass got the impression that Thomas surpassed her in being introverted. Their conversation stayed germane to their assignment for the next couple hours, until their project was mostly complete, save for polished rehearsing. Cass found herself being the one to mention this. "You know, I think we could probably get away with practicing on our own for the rest of this... I'm starting to lose my focus anyway."

Thomas nodded in agreement. "I didn't want to say anything, but I think that's a good idea. I've been sitting in this chair for hours." As if to accent his point, he yawned midsentence, leaving Cass to piece together that he meant "hours" based on his context.

Cass began to pack up her belongings, closing her laptop and sliding it into the largest pocket of her turquoise pack. Thomas followed suit, shuffling papers into a binder haphazardly. He stood up and stretched head to toe, extending his arms above his head and standing on his tip toes. "Man, it feels like I've just gotten out of the car for the first time on a long car trip."

"How long were you here before I got here?"

"Well, I work all day tomorrow, so I wanted to make sure I finished my homework today. I got here around seven."

This guy was crazy--Especially since he was a commuter student! "The library doesn't open until nine on Saturdays!"

"Yeah, I know. I have a friend in Campus Safety though. He let me in. I just hid out back here and none of the staff noticed me. You should try it sometime! I got a lot of work done."

And there Cass thought, productive student that she was, that she had just put in a good amount of sustained focus on their group project. "I don't understand why you would do that... but regardless, how about that break? If you're still up for it, I mean."

Smiling, Thomas replied, "Oh, you mean the auditorium shelter thing? I almost forgot."

"Well, if you'd rather not, that's okay. I mean--"

"No, no, no! That's not what I meant," he said hurriedly, waving his hands in the air disarmingly. "Yeah, please, let's go. I don't get to spend a lot of time on campus unless it's in class, even though I don't live too far away." He finished packing his things just as she did. "Lead on."

They walked down the stairs and out of the library together, and followed the smooth asphalt path past the University Commons building. "So, what's your major? Also, what year are you?" Cass asked the fennec, whose ears were getting soaked since they didn't fit under the hood of his sweater. "I'm a Sophomore. Engineering major. I'd like to work in aerospace someday. How about you?" He looked at Cass, his ears almost drooping with the amount his fur was saturated. The ferret was surprised at how stoic he was - it appeared that he didn't even notice--although since he had lived with it his whole life, perhaps he had just gotten used to it. Still, Cass would have preferred an umbrella over--

"Cass?"

She blinked, not realizing she had been staring off into space instead of answering his question. "Oh, sorry. I'm a Junior. Chem major. I'm into biochem especially. You know, enzyme pathways and protein assay stuff. I used to want to be a doctor but now I'm not sure."

"What about research? I thought about doing theoretical physics research when I first came here, but I quickly realized that I like the more hands-on aspect of engineering."

"That would be an idea. I've thought about it, but I don't care for the idea of being cooped up in a lab all day."

Thomas chuckled. "True! That is a bit of a predicament isn't it?" He looked up and saw the auditorium's engraved façade, which read "Edward K. Baumsteiger Memorial Auditorium." He and Cass both opened the doors to get out of the miserable weather simultaneously, entering into a foyer large enough to handle the front-end operations of a small exhibition, which were occasionally hosted on campus. "It's right this way," Cass stated, pointing to the left, where a hallway forked past the main entrance to the auditorium seating area. Thomas followed and wrung his ears out while walking. Noticing out of the corner of her eye, she asked "Doesn't that hurt? God, it looks like you're going to pull them off."

"No, not really. I just fold them and then run the water off. Does it bug you? I'm sorry, my ears are kind of dorky."

"Gosh, no! That's not what I was trying to say. I'm sorry, it feels weird talking about your ears. It was callous of me."

"It's okay. I know they're big."

Cass wanted to say something, to assure him that his ears were fine, and that he didn't need to apologize about his body image, but she couldn't put the words together. Near the end of the hall, she stopped him and motioned at a set of double doors that read "AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY."

"Right here. These are the doors."

Thomas was now in the process of wringing out his tail. "Well, I don't know what I was expecting. Is it locked?"

Cass grabbed both handles and pulled, and the door rattled against the metal frame. "Looks like it. Hey, wait a sec. What about your friend in Campus Safety?"

"What about him?" A look of realization flashed across his face. "Oh, you're right! I bet he has the key to this door...But wait - his shift ended at eight this morning. I could see when the next time he works is, and if we're both free I could see if he would be willing to open it."

The ferret nodded in agreement. "That sounds like a great idea! Just keep me posted, okay?"

"Sure thing. Anyway, I should probably get going, I guess. I need to go get some lunch and then get back to work. But hey, thanks for working with me. I feel pretty good about our presentation on Wednesday."

"Yeah, me too. Well, enjoy your lunch, and it was nice to meet you. Thanks for coming with me to check out this door, as weird as the whole scenario was." She realized that inviting a near-stranger to come see a doorway was kind of... well, odd.

"No, thank you! I appreciate the walk. I'll see you around!" He said as he turned around and began to walk back toward the foyer.

Feeling hungry herself, Cass wanted to invite Thomas to eat with her, but didn't want to shoulder him with any obligations or be perceived as being weird, too forward, or any number of things. She was about to speak up anyway when he rounded the corner, leaving her alone with her thoughts.