Today's lecture is titled 'why I don't like to fly.'" Professor Klein sarcastically addressed the class of engineering students. Standing in front of his podium, his eyes scanned the small group of twelve students in front of him. The underground classroom was dark, the off-white florescent bulbs old and dim. The air smelled damp and metallic, with the building's old steam heat systems rattling and creaking in the background.
The engineering classrooms were always significantly different from the bright and airy rooms shown in the brochures of Washington University. The campus was beautiful with classical architecture and winding grassy paths leading to classrooms decorated in elegant hardwood and state of the art audio/visual equipment. In contrast, the engineering rooms were rough, poured concrete, with mismatched broken desks, suitable for trolls. Cramped classrooms had no audio or visual (aside from the noise from HVAC systems and the green light flickering from computer screens)
Professor Klein's blue eyes stared direct at his students, dressed in various t-shirts and flannel jackets and jeans. "Every time a plane lifts into the air or lands, the wings flex. A small crack will unzip the wing like a zipper, when it flexes under the right conditions." The students didn't respond, yawning at yet another recital of how hundreds of people would die when a bridge, plane, or building would fail. Given that they were in their fourth year, anyone concerned with living had already washed out, and the rest were numb to the consequences of everyday life.
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An hour later..."That's it, homework is on the syllabus." The classroom emptied in a flash.
"Man, these classes suck." Eric complained as he walked with his classmates through the steam tunnels under the campus. Lit by the occasional bulb, Eric's classmates were more shadows than flesh and blood humans.
"Crack propagation not your thing? Not exactly a pickup line for the pretty girls on campus, huh, Eric?" The voice of his classmate echoed eerily in the brick tunnel. "Yeah, like I ever see one of those pre-med students, being trapped over here in the Engineering complex" Eric rebutted. Eric reflected on his choice to go into engineering, having been encouraged by his dad to take "real" classes.
The lights blinked out. " Damn it" Eric muttered. "This is complete B.S., right guys?" Silence. "Guys?"...