# Error And Trial

Title: Error And Trial
Status: Complete
Characters: Anon, Fang, Spears, Fernsworth
Rating: SFW
Classification: One Shot
Author: Anonymous
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The tickling of the clock rang out loudly in the still classroom. It was clear everyone was afraid to make a sound, and in the aftermath of what had happened, Anon couldn’t blame them. Dr. Fernsworth’s class could be… difficult at times: incomprehensible lectures, brutal homework assignments, and tests that Anon could only barely scrape by in. But all of that was nothing – NOTHING – compared to today.
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Dr. Fernsworth pinched the bridge of his nose, the aged dinosaur closing his eyes for a moment before opening them with a sigh. “Now, Fang, that’s okay… Let’s, try again, shall we?” The remains of a shattered scientific flask – several flasks, actually – littered Fang and Anon’s shared workbench, several of them spilling their semi-caustic contents all over the pair’s clothes. “But this time, do try to firmly grasp the flask, won’t you?”
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Fang, her unabashedly gothic look spoiled somewhat by a stained school lab coat and matching goggles, grit her teeth and prepared another flask, swirling the chemical solution inside over the burner. Today was lab day, and unlike the engaging and somewhat familiar lab on magnetic fields that Anon had started the school semester out with, today was all about stoichiometry. A word that Fang and Anon could hardly pronounce, let alone come to understand, and something that was proving very difficult.
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Watching as Fang swirled the solution with keen interest, Dr. Fernsworth smiled supportively, nodding along as Anon added the next reagent. “Slowly, Fang, don’t heat the solution too quickly now…” Anon could hear the sound of Fang’s teeth grinding from his location next to her. He couldn’t be sure if Fang actually knew what she was doing or not, but Dr. Fernsworth’s words were becoming increasingly condescending as the pair progressed through the lab. Knowing Fang’s volatile temper, it was only a matter of time until her patience, like so many fragile pieces of lab equipment before, broke down.
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One of the other students raised their hand, hoping to pull the venerable teacher’s attention away from the two most troublesome students in the class. “Dr. Fernsworth, what happens if we don’t follow these instructions directly?”
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Without taking his eyes off of the flask in Fang’s hand, Dr. Fernsworth smiled, croaking out his response as his eyes followed the swirling liquid. “We don’t know. It could kill millions or nobody. I suppose it might even bring a few people back to life!” A few students chuckled, clearly thinking the old scientist was starting to lose his marbles. “What we do know is that once the solution comes to temperature, we do NOT want it to turn green.” Nodding sagely, Dr. Fernsworth mopped his sizable forehead with a handkerchief. “Yes, yes. Green is very, very bad.”
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“Um, Dr. Fernsworth…” Fang asked, holding the flask outstretched as far as her arm could go. The solution inside the flask was slowly changing color, transitioning from a milky white to a color that very nearly green. Her voice cracked slightly, and Anon watched horrified as a bead of sweat rolled down her face. “Should… Should we be worried?”
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Dr. Fernsworth shook his head quickly. “Nonsense! That color isn’t remotely green yet! Why, it’s more of a peridot than anything.”
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Anon swallowed hard. The solution wasn’t done changing colors… “Dr. Fernsworth, what’s the difference?”
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“Peridot is an acceptable color, young Anon.” Suddenly, the solution in the flask changed, flashing from a golden-green to the color of a Granny-Smith apple. “That, for instance, is not.”
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“Bad news, everyone.”
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***
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“Look, it’s not our fault!” Still coughing, Anon and Fang waited for Principal Spears to make the first move. The duo sat across the hulking caveman’s desk, Fang vehemently arguing her case. “It was just a lab accident!”
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Principal Spears silenced her with a glare, tapping his thick fingers on his desk in a sort of rhythm. “A lab accident that caused the first floor of the school to be evacuated, Fang. Frankly, we’re lucky no one else was hurt.”
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“Yeah, just some -*cough*- minor lung scarring and -*cough*- chemical burns.” Anon wilted under Spears’ heavy glare, shrinking back against the cushion of the seat.
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Fang leaned forward in her chair, eyes flashing. She, it seemed to Anon, was not going to be cowed by the principle, no matter his size. “Even so, it’s not like we caused this! If it’s anyone’s fault, blame Dr. Fernsworth, he didn’t even know what would happen!”
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“Fang, enough!” Spears’ fist slammed down on the surface of the desk, silencing the conversation once and for all. Anon thought he could hear wood splintering. “We will not speak ill of the dead, not today. What the two of you did today goes beyond the school’s ability to punish.” Taking a deep breath, the mountain of a man calmed himself noticeably before continuing. “I’m going to have to call your parents for this one, Fang.”
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The ptero paled, her wings drooping. Anon had only seen Fang’s parents a few times, but he knew he didn’t want to be around when Fang’s Mom got -really- angry. Mind racing, Anon watched as Spears picked up his office phone, desperately thinking of something, anything, to get Fang out of this bind. Spears punched the numbers one by one, using a pencil in the place of his enormous sausage fingers. Were those tears in Fang’s eyes?
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A knock at the door caused Spears to stop, the pencil hovering over the final button.
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Spears rolled his eyes, fixing Fang and Anon with a cold glance as he called out to the new visitor. “Yes? Who is it?” Not daring to turn around, Anon and Fang watched as the Principal’s beady eyes finally flickered towards whomever was entering his office, watched as Spears’ jaw – and the phone – fell. Only then did they turn around, their own mouths dropping as well.
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It was Dr. Fernsworth, covered in soot and dirt but somehow, miraculously, alive, and not at all smeared across the classroom celling. Which is where he was the last time the two students had seen their supposedly-former instructor. Smiling, Dr. Fernsworth spread his hands wide, spectacles flashing in the light of the Principal’s office.
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“Good news everyone! I’m still technically alive!”
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Gaping, Principal Spears half-rose from his office chair, finding words at last. “But… Dr. Fernsworth, how? The solution, the explosion!”
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Fernsworth waved his hands dismissively, wiping his brow with a tattered handkerchief. “Oh, pish posh! It’s going to take a little more than a little explosion to take this old man out.” Grinning wickedly, Dr. Fernsworth turned his eyes to Fang and Anon. “Despite what these two may have tried. That was quite a reaction, you two! Have you ever thought of working in the lab after school? I could always use a good expendable lab technician. I can’t pay you of course, for legal reasons, but perhaps they could benefit from a little extra credit…” Fernsworth glanced over to Principal Spears, and for the first time the hulking man seemed at a loss for words. They had nearly blown him to kingdom come, and Dr. Fernsworth was offering them a chance to save their grade?!
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Spears opened his mouth, his brows knitting together. No doubt the Principal objected to having two pseudo-criminals assist in such dangerous experiments, but before he could voice any objections, Fang slipped into the conversation, her amber eyes flashing definitely.
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“It’s a deal, Dr. Fernsworth! Anon and I both, we’ll help you after school. For a “C”, at least!”
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Wait, not even an “A”?
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Clapping his hands together, Dr. Fernsworth smiled up at Principal. “They consented! You heard it, Spears! Come now, you two, we’ve got a lot to clean up before we can get to work.”
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Anon felt dazed as he followed Fang and Fernsworth out of Spears’ office, leaving the Principal’s mouth working silently. Dr. Fernsworth was notorious for… unique experiments. What had Fang signed them up for?
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“Now, you two. You’ve had all your shots, correct? Oh, no matter. You’ll be inoculated soon enough. First up, we’re going to fix the poisonous slime pipes, and then…”